


Our Royal Responsibilities

by Amolad



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe!Prince Au, Eren likes to explore, F/F, F/M, King!Levi, M/M, Monsters, Multi, PRINCE!LEVI, Prince!Eren, add more tags later, idk what else to add, possible smut most likely, smut?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-21
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-04-05 12:13:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 85,241
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14044053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Amolad/pseuds/Amolad
Summary: Eren is the prince to Kingdom Maria though he rarely visits his home, instead opting to sail the world and discover new lands and fight terrifying creatures.Eren wishes to maintain his freedom for the rest of his days but that all changes when his father threatens to take Eren’s freedom away by telling him to find a bride.The young prince, with nothing left to do, runs away to persue his dream of exploring.——————————————————Levi is the king to Kingdom Rose, a developing kingdom that is surrounded by forests filled with nothing but monsters and darkness.While Levi stresses with raising his kingdom to prosperity, a new bright eyed brat who happens to volunteer to help clear the forests of monsters steps into his life to distract him.Basically just two dumb princes/kings being cute.





	1. Chapter 1

Eren watched the sun set below the sea level as a salty breeze tickled his face and tossed his shaggy, brown hair around. He smiled as he took in a deep breath and released it, relishing in how the crisp air cleared through his nose.

The young prince wish he could stay like this forever: on a boat sailing the sea for weeks at a time. Realizing he hadn’t been home in about five months, Eren’s bright mood soon turned grim as he reminded himself that he would be returning back to Kingdom Maria tomorrow. Maria, his home, where he would be forced to remained cooped up in a castle far too big to be considered “homely”.

The thought made him sick.

As soon as he would return he would be forced to do paperwork, listen to citizen concerns and even worse, he would have to look for a bride to wed.

Eren scowled as he thought of his father nagging him to find a suitable bride, one who was of royal status and possessed more money than she knew what to do with. Live a life of absolute luxury while overseeing a kingdom, the life many people would love to have but Eren couldn’t see it as that. The prince couldn’t wrap his head around the idea of finding a princess who he didn’t know anything about and marrying her, the thought feeling dirty and disgusting in his mind.

“Prince Valor!” Ugh. That name, Eren hated it. It was more of a word which housed too much power, naturally it was a name given to him by his father, the King of Maria: Grisha.

‘Eren’, the middle name given to the young prince by his mother, the Queen of Maria: Carla, was what he preferred to be called. Thankfully his family and friends seemed to understand this as they all adapted to calling the prince this and even Eren’s father came around to it as well.

The brunette turned around to face the guard which had been calling his name as he came sprinting up to his prince.

“What is it?” Eren asked, although he said it a bit too harshly as the soldier flinched a bit at the question. Sighing, the man of royalty mumbled an apology of sorts, knowing the soldier had heard it when he smiled nervously.

“W-well, your highness. Everyone is aware that you are not very pleased with, you know, getting home tomorrow so we prepared a surprise for you! On the deck!” The soldier excitedly announced and Eren’s eyes widened. 

“You all did... what?” The prince was gobsmacked as the soldier beckoned Eren to follow him up to the deck, to which the latter complied with no complaint.

On the deck were the crew of explorers Eren had travelled with for years, many of which he trusted his life with. They all stood there, blocking something just out of the prince’s view as they all smiled at him.

“Eren, you’re apart of this exploration family and we know you’d come with us all the time had it not been for your position.” A man named Reiner said, a talented swordsman and explorer to which Eren had grown up with and had exchanged flirtatious banter to each other multiple times. “And we all wish you could sail with us too. Your recklessness and diving head first into stupid situations is always keeping us on our toes but honestly, we all love it. We even loved the time when you sailed the ship right into a nest of Sea Beasts.” Reiner snorted and Eren let out a chuckle himself, remembering the memory fondly.

“As I recall, you wanted to sail that way too, Reiner.” Eren retorted and watched as the blond let out a hoot at the retort.

“Anyways! We know you’re like, really depressed about going back home because, let’s face it, you’re eighteen now and the king will probably be nagging you to marry...” The prince groaned at the reminder, “so, we got you something so you always remember your love for adventure.” At Reiner’s words, the group parted and revealed a beautiful broadsword that possessed a dark green coloured hilt and imbedded in the pommel of the sword lay a dark emerald about the size of Eren’s eye. Although, everyone knew not even an emerald as sublime as the one before them could challenge the colour of the prince’s turquoise irises that oh so many adored.

The prince felt his breath leave his body as he gently reached out to touch the beautifully sharp sword and softly ran his hand along the blade.

“It’s beautifully done... And this material... what is—“ Reiner cut Eren off before he could finish.

“Sea Belly Glass. The toughest metal you can get.” The swordsman smirked at the shocked look on his prince’s face.

Sea Belly Glass was one of the hardest materials to acquire as it was collected from Sea Beast dens, located under water approximately 100 metres below sea level. It’s where Sea Beasts discharge the materials that harden in their stomachs once every six months. To get even five pounds of this material... It must’ve cost at least ten men their lives. The amount of Sea Belly Glass used to make the sword undoubtedly cost the crew a fortune, let alone the beautiful emerald in the pommel which alone was enough to make even the wealthiest of kings broke.

“You all... I can’t accept this. This must’ve cost all the gold you’ve collected your entire lives... how can you just spend all of it—“ Eren was again cut off but this time by a petite girl named Annie, her blond fringe blocking her right eye.

“Just accept it. We wouldn’t get it for you if it didn’t mean anything.” She said stoically but Eren knew all he had to do was smile to see a happy glint in Annie’s eyes.

Everyone was weak to his smiles and the prince knew it.

“Thank you all so much.” The prince felt tears enter his eyes as he hugged each crew member before receiving the sword and securing it in a plain sheath. Eren liked that idea however, that inside such a plain looking scabbard would hold a treasure so beautiful.

The rest of the evening was spent partying mostly as the crew took out ale and put on a feast for Eren, knowing he wouldn’t be able to travel with them again for at least a year or possibly more.

The brunette didn’t drink though as he felt it would be considered unprincely but also because he didn’t like how his senses would be impaired if he were to get drunk. So he watched the rest of the crew get wasted beyond belief as they all passed out one by one on the deck.

Eren giggled at the sight of Bertholdt and Annie passed out together against one of the sail posts, cutely in the corner snuggling against one another. The prince didn’t budge from his seat atop a barrel when he heard someone come up behind him and he eased into the touch of a big, sinewy arm encircling his waist. The prince let out a soft snort before asking, “You horny, Reiner?”

A light pink dust covered the crewman’s cheeks but it wasn’t because of the alcohol. Eren knew this man could drink all he wanted and never even slur his words so when the prince turned to look at Reiner, he was surprised to see such an unusual expression on his face.

“Of course I’m not horny.” Came the annoyed reply followed by a scowl as Eren laughed softly at the blond’s face, however Reiner’s grip on his waist didn’t loosen.

The two stood there for a few moments in comfortable silence as they both turned their attention back to watch Bertholdt and Annie sleeping together.

“...I feel like we’re being creepy.” Eren eventually said as he removed himself from Reiner’s grip and hopped off the barrel. Just as he was about to walk away to his room, the prince felt a hand grab his and pull him back towards the other man.

The prince was about to make another joke when his eyes widened at the sight of Reiner’s face, the calm and courageous face Eren had grown up around since the two were nine years old and never had the prince seen it adorn an expression quite like this one.

Reiner looked at Eren with eyes filled with mischief and... want. He looked like he wanted to devour the prince.

“R-Reiner? Are you feeling okay?” Eren asked. After not moving for a few moments, the prince went to speak again when Reiner finally answered.

“Nothing’s ever enough for you.” The blond started as Eren’s eyes widened in sudden confusion. “I know you don’t want to have a partner or get married... I’ve known that since we were young. You’ve never lusted after anyone or even fancied a girl or guy... You’ve always had your mind set on adventure and going beyond into vast, unexplored lands... And you draw people towards you. You’re like a magnet, just easily attracting anyone and anything close to you, like you’re a light while everyone else are flies. You have all this power... And it’s like it’s not enough for you. You still crave more and more and not to mention you’re so damn stubborn. You’re so set in getting what you want and when you find it, be it a mythical location or an undiscovered item, as soon as you’ve uncovered it you move on to the next mystery.” Reiner sighed.

Eren furrowed his brow, not understanding what Reiner was getting at. “Reiner, if you’re just here to insult me and basically tell me I’m spoiled—“

“That’s not what I’m saying at all!” Reiner clenched his teeth together as he put his hands on Eren’s shoulders and stared him straight in the eyes. “Everyone loves that about you! Everyone just loves you and... I love that about you! I love the way you run into situations without thinking anything through! I love how your eyes light up when you discover something entirely new! I love... I love you! I love you, Eren. And if you were to be with me I would give you everything you could ever want in life.” Reiner breathed out and Eren’s eyes widened to a size that would seem impossible if it were anyone else.

When the prince didn’t respond Reiner continued. “I know you don’t feel the same. You have nothing on your mind but your desire to learn more about the world and the mysteries it holds. But Eren, I promise you, if you made me your Eternal Partner from the Royalty Code, I would gladly fill your desires. I would bring you anywhere and everywhere you’d wish to go. You just need to become mine and I can take you away from the Kingdom, I can take you away from the responsibilities of being a prince.”

Eren didn’t know how to respond as he looked away from Reiner’s eyes and stared down at the deck floor. “Let go of me, please.” Eren whispered and Reiner immediately released the prince. 

Eren understood why Reiner would think that becoming Eternal Partners with each other would benefit both. It was a set rule under the jurisdiction of the Royalty Code, a set of rules that any person of royalty must obey or the Eternal Goddess would descend to personally punish the rule breaker herself. The Eternal Godess, the most powerful being in the lands, as she created them, would destroy anyone who broke her simple rules. And one such rule was the Eternal Partners, which dictated that whoever the person of royalty married, they must remain married to that person for the rest of their life. That meant if Eren were to marry Reiner, his father couldn’t force him to marry anyone else and thus Eren would become King of Maria. He could then pass on the right to rule to either Mikasa or Armin, two of his best friends who would do anything to keep Maria standing tall. But, Eren didn’t want this. He didn’t want to stayed married to one person and be with them for as long as he lived. Even if it were Reiner, Eren couldn’t picture himself being happy for long. So, Eren took a step backwards.

Reiner couldn’t help but clench his fists in defeat when he saw Eren moving back. Eren, having caught a glimpse of the action, felt his heart tighten painfully in his chest due to guilt.

“Reiner...” Eren breathed. “I love you too... But not in the way... you love me.” Eren chewed gently at his lower lip. “I know marrying you would be in my best interest. I would inherit the crown and be able to pass it on to Mika or Armin and I could go off and sail with you around the world but... Having someone else that I’d /have/ to care about... It doesn’t sit well with me. I’d rather choose to care about someone than be forced to with some stupid code. And it wouldn’t be fair to you either, you deserve to know that I genuinely care about you. Plus... we get into dangerous situations. We almost didn’t make it out of a few fights with the terrifying monsters we’ve encountered. You know I can take care of myself and I know you can take care of yourself but what if one of us starts to get too worried about the other? What if we make the wrong move to try to save the other? I can’t risk losing you because you were fretting over me.” Eren finally concluded and when he looked up, he couldn’t stand the look on Reiner’s face.

For the first time in his life he felt like he had seen Reiner at his most vulnerable, his usual cheeky, smiling facade having been cracked.

The look of pain on his face was enough for Eren to develop tears in the corners of his eyes. “R-Reiner please don’t make that kind of face.”

“I can’t help it.” Reiner let out a humourless laugh. “It’s the first time I’ve been rejected by the person I’ve liked for so long. I understand what you’re saying, I know it makes sense but I’m just... I’m frustrated I guess.”

Eren looked at the ground. “I’m sorry, Reiner. But you know I could never feel that way about anyone.”

“Yeah, I know. It still hurts though.” Reiner huffed as he let his hand brush away developing tears and he smacked his face with both hands. The sound made Eren look up and at the same time Reiner looked up as well.

“Eren, I really do love you so, I’ll continue to support you. In anyway possible.” 

The prince smiled as he let out a small laugh and shook his head fondly at the man he had grown up with. Despite the hurt the prince put Reiner through, Eren knew that this man would stay beside him no matter what. 

Eren couldn’t ask for a more perfect colleague.

***

Men and women alike were sitting along the harbour as they watched their Prince’s ship slowly dock after five months of being away from the kingdom.

Maria loved their prince, even if he wasn’t around much. The people would always welcome Eren home like this just as they had all seen him off as he went to explore the world. They enjoyed having such an adventurous prince, it kept them all on their toes and anxious to see what their prince would do next. 

So when Eren jumped down onto the docks from the deck, no one was surprised as all the women squealed and all the men laughed as they instantly surrounded their prince, each person giving him a tight hug which he returned.

From up on the deck, Reiner smiled fondly as he watched Eren work his magic on the crowd. The prince was so good with his people, that’s why they loved him. Eren had fought for equality amongst nobles to lower classes andhe was apart of projects that would bring basic needs to those who couldn’t afford them. Reiner knew that Eren couldn’t love anyone romantically but the prince really did love everyone as if they were all his children. 

Reiner gritted his teeth at the thought.

How ironic that Eren couldn’t love him but he could love everyone else. Even if it was only the prince acting on his subconscious. 

***

Eren sighed as he finally made it through the crowd of people from the streets that had gathered to welcome him and made it inside the castle.

It was just as big as always, marble floors and creme walls, the walls being accented along the edges with a beautiful gold pattern. Massive murals of past kings and queens of Maria lined those walls and a few blank spots resided near the end of the hallway. One such spot would belong to Grisha as soon as Eren inherited the crown and from Eren it would go to his first born child, only then would Eren have his own mural hung.

Eren shivered at the terrifying thought, however. If he were to have a child, he wouldn’t be able to explore. He’d have a real responsibility to take care of his child and teach it everything he knew. A child would mean, he couldn’t be free.

Eren stood tall, practically oozing confidence as maids bowed their heads as he passed them on his way to the throne room.

A massive set of creme doors with golden handles was all that stood in the way of Eren and his destination once he reached the end of the long hall. He took a deep breath before motioning to the guards to open it, which they complied immediately. 

Eren entered the large room where pillars carved with Maria’s history sat on either side of him as he walked upon a lush, green carpet that led up a small flight of stairs right to the thrones. Upon those thrones sat his father, clad in a dark brown leather cape with a simple white button up, the sleeves adorning ruffles at the end. Grisha also wore simple brown pants tucked into tan boots.

If Eren could respect one thing about his father, it was that he didn’t dress to show off his wealth.

On his father’s right side sat Eren’s mother, Carla, wearing a simple light green dress which the sleeves stopped at her elbows but also had ruffles and the skirt hung low on her body, just barely covering her dark green heels.

As soon as the queen saw her son she got up and descended down the steps to meet him as Eren’s pace quickened. He half walked, half ran to his mother as she did the same and they met half way down the hall to hug each other.

Eren laughed softly as Carla planted kisses all over his face before pulling Eren down to her level and burying her nose in his hair.

She reminisced in how Eren smelt like the salty ocean, remembering how they would both go sailing together when he was just a child. She laughed softly as she vaguely recognized she was the reason why her son was now obsessed with adventure and rarely returned home. Oh, how her husband would scold her if she told him how many times she and Eren had snuck off on boats to go exploring without his knowledge.

“I’m home, mom.” Eren smiled softly as he wrapped his arms around her waist and hugged her tightly.

“My son.” She smiled happily and kissed his forehead quickly before pulling back a bit to look at him. “Welcome home.”

It had only been five months but he had grown again, easily beating Carla’s height and his already tanned skin was even darker now due to the amount of sun he got on his trip. Carla looked over some of the scratches on Eren’s face and then met his eyes, the beautiful emerald eyes that held a slight blue to them. They were just like his fathers but there was also something else in Eren’s eyes. There were speckles of golden yellow and Carla smiled. She knew the young prince had gotten that from her. 

“My gorgeous son, Eren. I’ve missed you so much.” She smiled wider when she saw a faint blush dust Eren’s face and he snorted.

“Yeah, I missed you too...” Eren said sheepishly although he smiled happily.

From behind Eren and Carla sat the king, Grisha. He looked at his beautiful wife and handsome son fondly as he coughed expectantly at the two.

Immediately Eren’s face dropped, just slightly, but Grisha still was able to notice the action. The king knew his son wasn’t the biggest fan of him, Eren always being a mommy’s boy but that didn’t mean the king didn’t love his son any less. Their relationship was just complicated, that was all as Carla had always been the ‘good guard’ parent of the relationship while Grisha himself had been the ‘bad guard’. Basically meaning that while Carla spoiled Eren and supported him through anything he wanted to do, Grisha tried to keep Eren on the right track to become a proper king. And if you still don’t understand, it meant Grisha was the parent with a stick up their ass 24/7.

Carla laughed softly as she pulled away from her son and took his hand, leading him up to his father. She knew their relationship was strained and she couldn’t help but giggle to herself as she thought of how she had the two most stubborn men in the world under her care.

The queen and prince climbed the stairs to meet Grisha where the king then stood up and shook Eren’s hand in meeting as Carla gave her son to the king.

Eren returned a firm shake and nodded his head in acknowledgement before his king when he heard a low growl come from his mother.

Both men turned their heads to their left as they saw Carla with her arms folded over her chest and could hear her tapping her foot impatiently from underneath her dress. She glared at the two fools she raised and shook her head.

Both men shivered in fear as they quickly embraced each other, knowing the queen wouldn’t be satisfied unless the men had hugged.

As soon as they were in contact, Carla’s face immediately brightened as she nodded approvingly. “See? Wasn’t so hard now was it, you dumb boys?”

Eren snickered while Grisha laughed softly as he patted Eren’s back. Only the Eternal Goddess would know what would have happened to Eren and Grisha by now if Carla hadn’t been there all their lives. The woman was a force to be reckoned with.

Grisha smiled as he thought about how grateful he was to have such a strong wife. If Carla hadn’t been there, he bet his crown he wouldn’t have even been able to shake his own son’s hand. The two wouldn’t be compatible if Carla hadn’t been around.

Grisha hugged Eren longer than he expected Eren to let him, the king also taking in the scent of his son. How the prince had grown, the king thought as he also took in the same salty aroma his wife had.

He had grown up quite well, Grisha thought as he remembered looking out the castle window and seeing Eren surrounded by the people of Maria.

They all adored him. Eren would become a fine king in no time with Grisha’s help and direction. 

***

After Eren had talked some to his parents and handed them both gifts from his travels, giving them each a collection of sea glass from around the world, he went to his room where he knew two people would be waiting for him.

As soon as he opened the doors to his room, two bodies came flying at the prince as both figures put their full body weight onto him, consequently making Eren fall to the floor with a loud ‘thump’.

Eren laughed despite the pain of falling right on his ass as he hugged the two figures, blond and black hair tickling his face as the owners hugged Eren tighter.

“Hey Armin. Hey Mikasa. You guys miss me at all?” Eren wheezed out a laugh as the two hugged him tighter in response.

“Of course we missed you.” Mikasa sighed as she took in Eren’s scent though it was clouded by the distinct smell of the ocean. 

Armin looked up at Eren and flicked his nose. “That shouldn’t even be a question, Eren.” Eren snorted and hugged his childhood friends back.

They had all grown up together as Eren and his family saved Mikasa from a human trafficking ring when the two were both ten. Once the royal family discovered Mikasa’s parents had abandoned her and had given her up to human trafficking themselves, Carla had offered Mikasa a home in the castle. However, when Mikasa had been hesitant to accept, Eren made it a point to wrap the red scarf he had been wearing that day around Mikasa and told her to come home with him. Since then she’s been by Eren’s side, protecting him and making sure he was happy all while wearing that red scarf.

As for Armin, the prince had known the blond boy his entire life as Armin’s parents were nobles who worked directly under Eren’s father. They were in charge of charting maps and such, going on expeditions to explore undiscovered lands. They were the best map makers the world had ever known until they one day vanished with a crew of about twelve others. After that Armin had no one but his grandpa, so Eren told the blond boy to stay with him and Mikasa until his parents got back. Armin remembered that day clearly as Eren kept reassuring him with the most serious face he’d ever seen on the prince that his parents would come home one day. Armin had held onto that hope even until this very day.

The friends remained in their little bundle on the floor for a few more minutes in comfortable silence until Eren spoke up. 

“So, you guys are really heavy and my ass has started developing a bruise so, uh...” Armin and Mikasa laughed as they got off Eren and helped him up to his feet. The prince hissed in pain as he rubbed his bottom which definitely had a bruise on it.

“Man, nothing beats a ‘welcome home’ bruise.” Eren scowled while his two friends just snickered at him and smiled innocently.

“Yeah, yeah. Now tell us everything you did these past five months.” Mikasa rolled her eyes and they all got on Eren’s bed while the prince told them of the lands he saw this time and what creatures he faced.

Armin and Mikasa both didn’t agree with Eren being so careless to explore uncharted lands. He was a prince after all and Armin especially disliked the idea of his best friend running off to unknown places when his parents had disappeared doing that exact same thing. However, they both knew they could never keep Eren from doing what he wanted so the most they could do was take care of the kingdom in his stead so he wouldn’t die from all the paperwork he missed while away. 

As the two friends watched the prince’s animated gestures and sparkling in his eyes as he explained what he saw, they both knew that this was Eren at his truest. And they would do everything they could to keep him this happy.

***

Eren sat at the long dining table across from his mother while his father sat at the very end, overlooking the two.

They were on their appetizers: a beautifully done French onion soup but Eren couldn’t seem to finish his dish. After months of eating nothing but stale bread, potatoes and dried fish, the prince’s palette had narrowed considerably. So eating super fancy foods all of a sudden was a shock to his tastebuds.

Grisha sighed as he noticed his son wouldn’t be able to keep anything else down if he couldn’t even eat a soup so he called for a loaf of bread with butter be brought out for Eren.

Eren smiled gratefully at his father before cutting off a slice of bread and spreading butter over it before starting to eat.

“So, Eren.” Grisha began as he finished his appetizer. “I would’ve liked to do this after dinner but I know you’ll probably finish early and you’d try to sneak off to your room.” Eren froze as he examined his father with worried eyes. Grisha just sighed. “You know what this is about, Eren.” 

Eren clenched his jaw as he put down the piece of bread he had been chewing on. “I refuse to marry a princess I don’t even know.”

Even Carla didn’t know what to do as she opted to watch her son and husband deal with this problem as grown adults. 

“Eren.” Grisha started again. “I know you’re against this but you’re eighteen now. I’ve let you have your freedom all this time and now it’s time for you to start settling down. I’ve given you plenty of time to find a suitable wife, I mean you’ve travelled the world, you must’ve found at least one person who struck your fancy.”

“I could never love anyone romantically—“ Grisha cut Eren off.

“You’re human, Eren. You have human emotions. That means that you have the ability to love someone romantically. Maybe if you got to know a few princesses—“ It was Eren’s turn to cut Grisha off. 

“I don’t want to marry some princess! If I marry some girl I’ll be expected to have children with her! I’ll be expected to raise a child and stay in the castle for the rest of my life and be just like... just like you! A miserable king who gave up on everything he loved just to be the ‘perfect king’!”

Eren knew he crossed the line when his father glared at him. Eren shivered as he quickly looked away, unable to meet the king’s stare.

“...I did not give up on everything. I gave up on my dreams of becoming a swordsman, that much is true but I didn’t give up on you, Eren. Do you know how many times I’d hear the maids whispering to each other that I had had a rambunctious child when you were first born? You were nearly impossible to control and many begged and pleaded me to have another child, one that would be more suitable to rule. They were basically asking me to dispose of you Eren but I refused. I believed I could make you into a fine prince, which I have and now I will make you into a good king. And I’m not going to give up on that because I love you and I want you to make the right choices in life. And the right choice is for you to settle down and start being a real king. Not for you to do childish things like exploring and putting yourself in danger. There’s a point where you need to learn to grow up, Eren.”

Eren couldn’t look at his dad. The prince had known he had been a difficult child, one that many other parents would’ve given up hope on as soon as they noticed he was different but his mom and dad, they had always made him feel special. When he got into fights with other kids and came home bloody and bruised, his mom would patch him up while his father lectured him. After he had been mended his mother would give him a hug and kiss and his dad would soon follow, hugging Eren and kissing his forehead and saying that he would become a wonderful prince someday with his charisma. He had caused his parents so much worry with him always off on explorations but they still let him go because they wanted him to quench his curiosity, they wanted to support him and let him bloom into a young man he was proud to be. But now that they were asking one thing of him, Eren couldn’t do it.

He wouldn’t marry a princess he didn’t love.

Eren stood and walked away from the table but not before saying, “Give me two days to think this over.”

The queen and king watched their son wander off out into the hallway.

***

“Was I too harsh on him?” Grisha asked his wife as she was just finishing up her main course. Roast beef with a small garden salad.

She hadn’t said anything to her husband since Eren had left and Grisha thought he may go mad if his wife didn’t tell him what she was thinking soon.

Carla wiped her mouth with a napkin and set it down on the table, indicating she was finished her meal. “I think you could’ve been nicer about it.” She finally said as she met his eyes.

Beautiful teal eyes locked on golden yellow as the two shared secret thoughts just with their eyes.

“He’s still young, Grisha. He’s still a child who yearns for adventure and excitement. I was like that and so were you. Remember how we went exploring until we were in our mid twenties? And even then you proposed to me in the middle of the ocean aboard your ship. You asked me if I would go exploring with you forever and I agreed. We explored for a good three years after marrying and then we only settled down when we had Eren. But up until that point we continued our adventure around the world. I think this may be the same case with Eren.”

Grisha sighed as he realized his wife was right. Eren would need the same amount of time as Grisha had to explore his heart out. And as soon as Eren would have a child, he would settle down, just as Grisha had. But, Eren wasn’t Grisha, the king realized. Eren was far more stubborn than him and his son had already tasted far too much freedom for him to ever want such a life cooped up in a castle.

“Carla... Eren has your stubbornness and mine combined in him. Do you really think he’d need the same amount of time as me? Because I know he’ll need more time and look what we’ve done. We’ve given him so much freedom he only comes home like four times a year if we’re lucky. No, this needs to stop. Eren needs to learn the responsibilities of being royal. From today on, Eren will not be able to leave the castle without a personal guard to watch over him. He will do his paperwork, listen to citizen concerns and take care of Maria just as any king would do. Starting tomorrow, Eren will have to act like a King. He is not to go on anymore silly ‘adventures’.”

Carla realized there was no debate as she looked at her lap and bit her lower lip softly.

***

The king and queen were so wrapped up in their own thoughts they didn’t see the figure of their son behind the door to the dining hall. The prince could only stare wide eyed at his parents in shock as he quickly retreated back to his room.

He locked the doors as soon as he made his way in and Eren collapsed to the ground, a million thoughts racing through his mind.

“They can’t... how could they...” he was breathing heavy as he tried to think of a solution but nothing came to mind. Eren let out a yell as he gripped at the necklace which held a key that was around his neck and yanked it off. It had been a present from his father, Grisha having claimed he found the key under water in the wreckage of an old abandoned ship that had sunk.

Eren threw the key at an old map of the land around Maria as it hit a spot on the map and made a small tear.

Eren was breathing heavily as he looked up at the map. The key had hit a spot not far from Maria, a land that was currently being cleared of monsters to allow a fairly new kingdom to prosper: Rose.

Eren’s eyes widened as he started to develop a plan in his head. If he went to Rose he could escape his life in this castle, no one would know him there. He could take refuge there. Eren could also sign up to explore the areas near Rose, clear it of monsters and discover new areas. He could have the life he always wanted there.

Eren’s plan was set. He would pack up and sneak out of the castle tonight and head for Rose on foot.

The prince felt a shiver run through his body, a thrill that had him bouncing at the idea. He smiled as determination set in him and he thought about the life he had always yearned for.

He would make his dreams come true tonight.


	2. Chapter 2

With nothing but a small bag strapped to his back, Eren pushed open his bedroom window, allowing a gust of chilled air to come rushing in. The prince shivered against the cold as he wrapped his black cloak around him, sighing in relief at the warmth it provided.

Quickly looking back at his clock, Eren saw that it was one in the morning. If he was going to do this he would have to do it now. 

Rechecking his room to make sure everything was in place, Eren allowed himself a smile. Hay had been stuffed under his bed sheets, making it look like he was still sleeping and the multiple notes he left for each of his loved ones were sitting on his desk in a tidy pile. 

He was really going to do this.

Allowing himself a peek outside Eren inhaled deeply and released slowly before looking down. Now, the prince wasn’t afraid of heights but this was too much. Eren’s room was located in a tower approximately seventy meters high, a drop that could easily kill him ten times over.

Sighing, Eren realized he had no choice if he wanted to keep his freedom. Tying a rope around his waist and then securing the end to his bedpost, he climbed outside his window and started to descend down the side of the tower. Eren tried to focus on his grip on the jutting out bricks and footing instead of focusing on the fall below him but then the rope holding him went taut about halfway down. Eren gulped as he unsheathed his sword and took a breath, readying his grip before cutting the rope and sheathing his Sea Belly Glass sword. 

Shaking as he continued downwards, Eren tried to think of something else to keep his mind off the height.

That’s when a thought struck him, he hadn’t named his sword yet. Eren smiled as he thought about what his crew must’ve gone through in order to make this sword for him and decided on a name that would represent all that he stood for. 

Wings of Freedom.

A pretty name, Eren thought as he looked below him and breathed out in relief that he had raged the ground. He hopped down and landed on the grass with a small ‘thump’.

Pulling the black hood over his head, Eren ran towards the hedges that divided the castle gardens and the woodlands surrounding the kingdom. It was a dense hedge but the prince, along with Mikasa and Armin, had gone through the bush multiple times before together in order to escape from the castle confines for a bit. 

Eren let himself relax as he let himself move through the brush, feeling a few thorns and sticks graze his face and cut at his cloak but otherwise he came out onto the other side fairly unharmed. 

Eren looked over his shoulder up at his tower and snorted at the rope that was hanging down. He probably should’ve disposed of it so the morning guards wouldn’t get suspicious but Eren figured he’d be long gone by the time they found out he was missing.

With no more hesitancies on his mind, Eren looked forward into the forest and ran.

***

“Eren’s been sleeping in far too long.” Carla sighed as she watched Mikasa and Armin eat a breakfast of hot porridge topped with strawberries and brown sugar.

“He did just come home from a five month journey at sea.” Mikasa said with a shrug, although she too knew that Eren would never sleep in this long. It was about ten in the morning and everyone was having breakfast, including Grisha who opted for a fruit salad and a cup of coffee instead of a hot meal.

“He’s probably hesitant to come see me.” Grisha sighed, knowing he needed to apologize to Eren but also needing to break the news to him that he wouldn’t be allowed to go exploring from now on.

“I wonder why.” Carla said, sarcasm evident in her voice. This made Grisha wince. She had been cold to him like this since last night. Heck, that woman even made the king sleep in a guest bedroom last night.

“Carla, you must understand why I’m doing this, right? It’s not only for Eren’s sake but for the rest of the kingdom as well. Our people deserve to know they have a dedicated prince who will stay in the kingdom and help them through any problems.”

Carla didn’t respond as she took a sip from her cup of tea. Everyone stayed silent for a few moments before Armin suddenly spoke up.

“Once Eren becomes king... Could he really pass off the responsibilities to someone else?” Armin spoke up and looked at Grisha. “I mean. He’s always saying that as soon as he becomes king, he’ll give Mikasa or I the crown so we could rule... I didn’t look too much into it because I didn’t want to upset him but... That’s not possible, is it?”

Grisha took a moment before sighing and brushing hair out of his face. “It is possible... The problem is the Yeager name has had a long line of royalty. Hell, I think the first ever Yeager was royalty. Our bloodline has continued for centuries and to suddenly stop with Eren, people would be furious. And we all know Eren is popular with the people, think how disappointed they would be if he were to suddenly just pass off the crown and sail away never to return? People would hunt him down, those who like him as a king will send dangerous individuals after Eren and bring him back and... We all know that sometimes hired personnel don’t always stick to the rules they’re given by the client.”

Mikasa’s eyes widened. “So if Eren runs away, he could potentially be hunted down... And if the wrong person manages to get their hands on him, he could either kill him or take him as a hostage.” Everyone at the table shivered at Mikasa’s words. No one wanted to imagine Eren in a situation like that.

“Yes.” Grisha shook his head sadly. “Not only that, though. If Eren did give the crown to one of you two, your lives would be put in danger too. Others will begin to think that you must have influenced Eren to give you the crown and in that rage they could just as well send someone to kill you. That would mean Eren would have to come back to either rule himself or pass the crown onto another. But I fear the cycle would just continue if that were the case and I’m sure Eren would rather rule himself than allow any of his friends to get hurt.” Grisha rolled his eyes. “I’d like to say that isn’t true but it’s happened before and it can happen again. Also... if Eren did manage to give up the crown to one of you without causing an uproar... The person with the crown would have to find a suitable wife or husband as well. And Eren would never want to take your freedom away from either of you.”

Mikasa and Armin looked at each other for a few moments before Mikasa let out a sigh, looking back at Grisha.

“If it makes Eren happy, I am willing to do anything. That includes marriage.” She said as Grisha looked at her with incredulous eyes.

“I agree. We both love Eren... If it truly makes him happy, I’d gladly and willingly accept the role as the king and marry if it meant Eren could do what he loves.” Armin smiled as he thought about Eren and the young prince’s thirst for adventure.

It always made Eren’s eyes sparkle whenever he found something new to him and when he really wanted something badly, a fiery determination would be set ablaze in his eyes. That look alone was enough for Armin to give up his life for Eren if it meant that the fire in the prince’s eyes would never go out. 

Mikasa felt the same as she nodded and smiled from underneath her red scarf. She touched it fondly as she remembered when Eren wrapped it around her. “If it’ll keep his eyes shining brightly... I’ll do anything for him.”

Grisha let out a fond sigh at the two children he had basically raised himself. They really did love his idiot son. Although, Grisha couldn’t disagree.

Carla just let out a small giggle as she drank the rest of her tea and got up. “I’ll wake him. When he finishes breakfast we can all discuss what our plan is for everyone’s future.”

Agreeing, the trio let Carla take her leave in order retrieve Eren from his room. 

Armin and Mikasa continued to chat to each other while Grisha took out a book he had been invested in for a few days. The room was peaceful until a few minutes later they heard loud clacking of heels against marble floors and Carla burst into the dining room.

She was panting heavily as she clenched a small package of papers in her hands. She couldn’t even get out a coherent word before tears started to fall down her face.

“Eren’s gone!”

***

Eren sat against an abandoned building he had stumbled across as he took out some bread from his satchel and began to eat. He was beyond exhausted at this point, having travelled since one in the morning and it was about maybe eleven in the morning now? Ten hours on foot with no sleep. Oh he was going to regret this later.

The prince chewed on the soft loaf as he let his head fall back against the old wall and looked up at the sky. Past all the tree leaves was the exquisite shade of blue that he had always adored, only a few clouds swimming in it. What a gorgeous day.

Eren smiled to himself as he realized he could now do this everyday. He could sleep wherever he wanted and do whatever he pleased. The thought made his heart thump loudly in his chest. 

Once Eren had finished his poor excuse for a meal, he took out the map that had once hung on his walls back at the castle. He had been following it all this time and he guessed that in about three, maybe two days he’d reach Rose. Shaking in excitement, Eren got to his feet and started to speed walk towards his destination. 

He couldn’t wait until he got there.

***

Grisha looked furiously at the hay covered bed as he crumpled the note Eren had left for him in his hands. He knew Eren was unhappy but he didn’t think the brat would stoop so far as to run away! If it wasn’t for his wife keeping him calm, Grisha was sure he would’ve destroyed everything by now.

“Honey, I know you’re upset and I am too, as soon as he gets back I’m going to make him regret even thinking of running away... But we have to look at this from Eren’s perspective too. In the note he left me he said that he heard what you and I spoke of after we thought he went to bed. He heard that you were going to take away his freedom, the thing that takes priority in his life. If you had heard your father say that when you were Eren’s age what would you have done, dear?”

Grisha let out an annoyed sigh. “I would’ve wanted to run away too but I also would’ve thought things through a little more than Eren did.” Grisha looked over at the rope that was in no way long enough to get Eren down all the way from the top of this tower. “He could’ve killed himself, Carla! The brat didn’t think this through at all! Hell, I bet he doesn’t even know where he’s going!”

“Actually, I think he does...” Armin said as he inspected Eren’s walls and noticed the map of the areas surrounding Maria was missing. “The map... It’s gone.” Looking down, Armin saw Eren’s necklace and picked it up. The blond walked over to Grisha to give it to him. “He probably threw this in rage... But what’s most interesting is that the map of Maria and surrounding lands is missing. He must’ve taken it with him...”

Grisha took the necklace from Armin and clenched his jaw. “So that means he could’ve been heading in any direction... but that could also mean that he was only using that map as a guide to get to somewhere farther.” Grisha gripped the necklace tightly enough for the key to pierce the skin of his palm and draw blood.

Carla cried out in shock at the sight of her husband bleeding and quickly pulled out her handkerchief. She grabbed his injured hand and open it to remove the necklace and firmly held the white cloth over the wound.

Grisha didn’t feel his injury, however as he looked back over his shoulder at Reiner. Not only was the blond a sailor who the king entrusted Eren’s life with but he was also one of the head guards at the castle. 

“...Reiner. Send a party of soldiers to each surrounding kingdom and search for Eren. Get word out of Eren’s disappearance and be sure to tell people there will be a reward for any information regarding my son’s whereabouts. Eren has about an eleven hour lead on us but we have the advantage.” Grisha put a hand over his wife’s, her hands still placed over his wound. “Fret not, my wife. I will find our son even if it’s the last thing I do.”

“...What advantage do we have exactly?” Carla laughed out humourlessly. 

“Eren may have determination but we have more sources. I’m friends with many people from different kingdoms from all over the world, most of which have pledged their allegiance to me. Out of all of them, at least one person should be able to find where Eren is.”

Carla sighed and nodded, resting her head against her husband’s chest. She didn’t feel right about tracking down her own child, reducing him to nothing more than prey. But she also knew that if she ever wanted to see him again, she would have to go along with Grisha’s ludicrous plan. 

Carla had always known there would be controversy between Eren and his father, even before the prince was born but she never imagined it would escalate so much.

The queen pulled away from her husband as she walked towards the window and looked down at the rope that only reached halfway. She let out a small laugh as she thought that indeed, Eren was just like his father. 

***

Two days had passed since Eren left the castle and as he woke up from his spot in a tree, he realized today would be the day he would enter Rose and start his new life. 

Eren hopped off of the tree he had taken refuge in for the night and started walking through the dense woods once more, a spring in his step. He was just so excited to see what Rose would be like, what kind of people he would meet there, who the king was and so much more!

Eren frowned at his sudden realization that he knew nothing about Rose. What if he had been wrong and people there knew him? What if their king had already received word from Maria that he was missing and they would send him back as soon as he was recognized? These thoughts made Eren stop as he started questioning everything he had done up to this point.

What if his parents knew he was going to Rose? He didn’t know how they could have figured it out but what if they were coming for him right now? Eren fell to his knees as he hugged himself, fear settling in him. He didn’t want to go back, he didn’t want to have to marry some princess he could never love. He didn’t want a child, he didn’t want to stop his adventure! 

Eren knew he was being selfish but that was just how he was, he fought for anything he cared about because if he didn’t fight... He couldn’t win.

Eren smacked his face with both hands as he told himself to stop panicking and get up, to which he did.

The young prince decided he would have to find a disguise of some sort or at least a mask so no one could recognize his eyes. That would be the best solution to his problems.

Deciding not to let his fears rule over him, Eren continued his path until he reached a small cottage, one of which he hadn’t seen on the map, so it must’ve been new.

It looked fairly normal, small and quaint with smoke coming out of the chimney. Eren didn’t know why but for some reason, he felt drawn to the cottage as he walked up the steps to the front door. He knocked twice and waited a few moments before a voice called for him to come in.

Eren turned the handle and entered once he was permitted and he gasped when he walked in.

All around him were magical objects from all over the world, some of which he had never even seen before. The prince looked at each different item on the shelves in awe and he didn’t even realize someone was behind him until the person spoke up.

“Heh... you seem very intrigued.” Eren kept his eyes hidden behind his bangs as he nodded and looked at the person. Through his shaggy hair he could see that he was talking to a woman who wore glasses and had brown hair. She looked fairly normal and Eren wouldn’t have been as freaked out if she didn’t have a maniacal smile planted on her face.

“Ahahaha! No need to be scared of me kid, I’m always like this!” This didn’t calm Eren’s nerves as he slowly started to back up. 

The woman just laughed again and grabbed his hand as she dragged him through the store.

“W-wait! Please stop!” Eren begged as he tried to break free of the insane woman’s grip, however the woman was really strong.

“Oh, stop whining and come with me! You can’t hide your eyes with your hair, silly boy!” She laughed as she finally let Eren go and pulled something off of one of her shelves. When she turned around to face Eren again, she shoved a dark red cloth in his face.

Unsure of how to respond to the woman’s forceful actions, he took the cloth hesitantly and looked at her skeptically. “Umm... what am I supposed to do with this?”

“Wrap it around your eyes!” She laughed as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. “You wanted to hide your eyes, right? Right? Cause why else would you have hair covering them? Ahaha, stupid kid! Oh, by the way I’m Hanji Zoe! You can call me Hanji though!”

“Oh, well, uh... Hanji... Um, I don’t think I can wear this. I like to fight monsters and stuff and I’d be kinda impaired if I constantly wore a blindfold...” Eren tried to give the cloth back but Hanji only smirked.

“Just put it on. You’ll see.” Was all she said as she watched Eren expectantly.

!

Knowing he wouldn’t be able to leave unless he satisfied this insane woman, Eren put the cloth over his eyes and tied it at the back of his head. At first, it was pitch black, Eren unable to see a thing just as he expected but as he waited, light started to fill the cloth until he could see perfectly. In shock, the prince jumped back a bit when he saw Hanji, the woman only laughing as she smiled her wicked smile at him. 

“Well? Shocked?” She giggled as he shook his head furiously.

“H-how does... Why is it... No, what is this?” Eren asked as he felt the material covering his eyes.

“It’s called a Shush Cloth.” Hanji explained as she smiled a genuine smile at Eren. “It’s collected from mutant silk worm nests. Only pregnant mutant silk worms can produce this so it’s a rare material. Basically it has magical properties so that the outside of the cloth looks like any other kind of fabric but on the other side, the one you’re staring through, it will become transparent.” 

Eren was shocked as he grabbed Hanji’s hand. “Wait, so you can’t my eyes?”

“Hah, nope!”

“But how does that work? How is it possible for one side to be transparent while not affecting the other side?! Oh, also where can I find mutant silk worms?!” Eren was practically glowing from how excited he was.

Initially surprised at the boy’s sudden enthusiasm, Hanji began to laugh as she ruffled his hair. “Calm your role, kid. Now, how about you tell me your name and I’ll let you keep the cloth?”

Eren jumped in surprise. “My name for a rare material? Are you sure?” 

“I wouldn’t have offered if I didn’t mean it!” Hanji giggled as she smiled. Her giggle was more terrifying than her smile. 

“My name...” Eren thought about making up a new one for himself but then he realized no one knows him as Eren other than his good friends and family. It should be safe for him to use it. “My name is Eren.”

Hanji nodded and thought about the name. “Kinda odd but I like it!” She clapped Eren on his back, making him wince. “Now Eren, where are you headed to in all your mysterious glory?”

“O-oh... I’m actually on my way to Rose...”

This piqued Hanji’s interest as she huffed a laugh. “And why would a kid like yourself be going to a kingdom that’s just developing? Don’t you know how dangerous it is there? Monsters that could walk into the kingdom at any point in the night and murder anyone you know.” Hanji smiled wickedly when she saw Eren shiver at the thought but she was shocked with what he said next.

“Well, that’s exactly why I want to go. I want to explore Rose... and I want to help clear out the monsters from the forest. I haven’t fought many monsters in these areas so I’d like a chance to.” Eren smiled as Hanji nodded her head in approval.

“Not bad.” With that, Hanji grabbed his hand and was leading him out of the store to her carriage where one black horse sat strapped to it. 

“H-Hanji! Where are we going?” Eren asked as Hanji picked him up, much to the prince’s dismay, and set him on the carriage. 

“We’re going to Rose.” Hanji laughed as she quickly ran back to the cottage to lock up her shop. She grabbed a suitcase that was sitting by the door, one thing Eren had completely missed when walking up to the cottage and ran back to him.

The insane woman tossed her suitcase on Eren’s lap as she hopped over him into the other seat and took the reins of the horse.

Eren laughed at her enthusiasm and nodded to her to signal that he was ready.

Without holding back anymore Hanji whipped the reins and off they went down the trail.

***

Reiner scowled as he rode his horse through the dense forests, having been travelling for a day. The blond hated riding horses, not because he disliked the creatures but because he felt vulnerable. The horses weren’t the quietest runners in the world and if Reiner was suddenly ambushed, he would have to get off the horse which would be enough time for an enemy to stab a sword through his back. He was especially uneasy because he was leading his group to Rose, a developing kingdom where monsters were bound to be wandering everywhere.

“Reiner, stop being a bitch about riding a damn horse.” Annie snapped as she rode ahead of Reiner. The blond sighed as Bertholdt rode up beside him.

“...She just wants to get Eren back.” Bertholdt said softly, offering the explanation to Reiner.

“Yeah, yeah I know. There’s nothing scarier than an overprotective Annie.” Reiner let out a small laugh before sighing solemnly. “That damn Yeager... He could’ve just asked us to sneak him aboard the ship and sail off.”

“Eren would never do that and you know it.” Bertholdt said. “That would get us in trouble... He would never want to do that to us.” 

Reiner couldn’t disagree so he just shook his head. “I know... I just wish... He told someone. It didn’t have to be me but he just needed to tell someone so that they would know where he was going... He could be anywhere right now.”

Bertholdt couldn’t say anything else to console his friend. Reiner had sent fifteen small squads of six to eight soldiers in all different directions to try and find the prince, it was obvious the blond was worried sick. Reiner wasn’t the only one who worried, however. Bertholdt himself just wanted Eren back home and judging by how Annie was acting more annoyed than usual, he could tell she was just as worried.

Bertholdt sighed as Reiner rode faster and whipped his own horse’s reins to make it speed up.

They had to find Eren.

***

“So, Hanji. Why are you going to Rose?” Eren questioned as he nibbled on some crackers Hanji had given him.

“Well, the king requested my presence. Until he sorts out the whole ‘monsters in the woods’ fiasco he wants me to document as much as I can about the different monsters. You see, young Eren, I am not only a vivid item collector, but a scientist! I love watching monsters and cutting them open and dissecting them! Ahhh, I get excited just thinking about it!” Hanji drooled a bit and Eren scooted a bit away from her.

He was right, this woman was completely insane.

“Aww! Eren, you’re so mean! Don’t scoot away when I’m talking about something I love!” Hanji whined.

“You love cutting open monsters and dissecting them. Of course, I feel completely safe knowing a stranger I just met likes to cut things open.” Eren shook his head as Hanji laughed obnoxiously loud.

“Come on! We’ve known each other for a good... How many hours has it been? At least five right—“

“Shush!” Eren cut Hanji off as he put his hand over her mouth and made her drop the reins, the horse coming to a stop.

Eren pushed Hanji down in the seat while he crouched down as well, listening. Hanji tapped the back of Eren’s hand which was still on her mouth, indicating he could let go. He complied and lowered his hand, instead letting it fall to his side and grip the handle of his broadsword.

Hanji didn’t understand why Eren wanted her to be so quiet, she hadn’t heard anything a few moments ago and she definitely didn’t hear anything now— Wait. No, she was wrong. There was definitely something... A clicking noise? It was faint and only occurred every five seconds or so but still, it was there.

Suddenly, it stopped. 

Eren looked at Hanji and shrugged, he didn’t know if it was safe or not for them to continue.

His question was answered however when something started firing... tranquilizers at them. It was obvious the ambushers were using some sort of machine gun to fire the tranquilizers at them as Eren hissed as one of the tiny bullets skimmed his arm. He looked down to see a mysterious blue liquid mingle with his blood and he felt his arm start to go a bit numb. Damn, these tranquilizers were the real deal. Well, at least they knew the clicking sound was the gun.

The machine gun continued to fire, although empty rounds as people from the bushes jumped out from every direction. They surrounded the carriage as Hanji took out her pocket knife and Eren began to draw his sword. 

“Eren, sorry... Looks like this’ll be an interesting trip.” Hanji laughed softly.

“It’s alright, I needed a workout anyways.” Eren hissed.

“On my count... Three... Two... One.” Hanji jumped out of the carriage as soon as she reached one and kicked a guy in the face on her way out.

Eren followed Hanji’s lead as he drew his sword in one swift motion and started to slash at the ambushers who came at him with their own weapons in hand. 

Easily cutting through those that came at him, the prince realized in horror that Hanji only had a pocket knife. 

Rushing around the carriage to help Hanji, Eren readied his sword but, the people on Hanji’s side were all dead. 

In the middle of the bloody massacre stood Hanji, wiping blood from her glasses with her shirt. When her eyes landed on him, she smiled.

“Ah, Eren! Did you finish off your side?” 

Eren blinked a few times from behind his cloth before responding. “Yeah. Yeah I did.”

“Great! Help me drag the bodies off the path.” Hanji said casually as she started to push the bodies into the grassy sidelines.

“...Are you used to killing?” Eren suddenly asked and Hanji stood still to think about it for a few moments.

“We all have our own stories, Eren. Part of my story is that I’m a rare items collector. Bandits try to mug me all the time so it only makes sense that I’d train in self defence.”

Eren nodded as he started to help clear the remains as well. Hanji was sort of like him, he guessed. Despite the dangers of what she loved... she still did it. Eren appreciated that.

*** 

Once they cleared the path enough for the carriage to get through without going over remains, Hanji got the horse moving as she checked out Eren’s arm.

The prince’s state had deteriorated quickly as the blue mystery liquid started to take effect on him.

Eren felt weak and nauseous as he leaned against Hanji for support. There was only so much the scientist could do with the limited medical supplies she had on her. She tried to clean the wound as best as she could to rid it of the mysterious substance but it was obvious some had leaked into Eren’s bloodstream. 

All Hanji could do was patch it up and give Eren some sleeping pills so he could sleep until they got to Rose. Then they could get him some proper medical care.

Eren groaned as he shut his eyes and let exhaustion take over his body and then welcomed the blankness that overtook his mind.

***

“King Levi!” A petite, strawberry blond girl exclaimed as she looked out her telescope from the castle’s throne room. “Hanji has arrived! But she also... has someone else with her...”

“That shitty four eyes...” The king growled as he brushed his raven black hair out of his face. He uncrossed his legs and got up from his throne and stood up tall, trying to appear taller than he actually was.

“Someone fetch her and make sure she’s fucking clean before she steps into this castle. Same goes for her... companion.” Levi ordered and immediately two guards went to fetch the insane scientist.

Levi sighed as he fell back into his throne and crossed his legs once again. 

What did that shitty four eyes bring to his door this time?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the kudos and comments so far, I really appreciate it <3 Keep commenting as well please, I really enjoy reading everyone’s feedback! Alsoooo Levi finally appears >:)


	3. Chapter 3

”...Are you fucking serious? Again?” Levi asked with his arms folded over his chest, casually leaning against the doorframe of the medical bay.

The king of Rose was currently watching one of his most trusted guards, Petra, clean some of Hanji’s cuts and wiping the blood of the insane woman’s victims from her face.

“Tch...” The raven haired king clicked his tongue in distaste. “You could’ve done it cleaner.”

Hanji only laughed at her king’s attitude towards the mess she had on her. “Sorry, Levi! Only had a pocket knife on me!” Hanji stuck her tongue out at Levi as she giggled.

“Hanji, please stay still...” Petra, the petite strawberry blond woman begged the insane scientist.

“Oh, sorry, my dear!” Hanji laughed louder as she kissed Petra’s forehead, making the smaller woman blush furiously.

This earned Petra a raised eyebrow from the king and an even louder laugh from Hanji.

“...Anyway. Why’d you bring a dirty brat to my door? I’m not looking to adopt mangy mutts.” Levi glared at the boy who was being treated by a man named Moblit in the bed beside Hanji. 

The unknown boy was utterly filthy, looking as though he hadn’t taken a bath in days and the cloth he wore over his eyes... Despite Hanji’s explanation for it, Levi was suspicious of the brat. No one would just casually wear a cloth over their eyes for fashion and usually warriors weren’t ashamed of their scars if the boy had some on his eyes. That only left one reason as to why the brat would feel the need to wear the cloth and that was because the boy felt he had to hide his identity. 

“He was on his way to Rose anyways so I offered him a ride!” Hanji started to explain but Levi raised his eyebrow at her.

“Offered?” The king asked, unconvinced.

“Okay, okay! I picked him up and tossed him aboard my carriage!” Hanji sighed as she continued. “Anyways! We were casually chatting and all that fun stuff, by the way his name is Eren, and then he suddenly put his hand over my mouth. I thought he was being quite forward—“ Levi rolled his eyes at that. “—but then he told me to be quiet. I don’t know how this kid heard it but he was right, there was clicking coming within the forest and it ended up being a machine gun. It started firing at us from inside the forest but it was firing tranquilizers? Eren got skimmed by one and once the machine gun ran out of ammo we were ambushed by bandits! Eren took care of half while I took out the other... That’s why we’re all bloodied and bruised!” Hanji giggled as Levi only shook his head in disbelief.

“Well, I suppose I should be thankful the brat was there with you. If he hadn’t heard the clicking noise my main monster documenter would’ve been kidnapped and then I would’ve had to pay a ransom. Didn’t I fucking tell you to just move into town already, Hanji?” Levi growled at the woman but there was something off about her. She was still smiling wickedly but she was hesitating. “What is it, shitty four eyes?”

“...I probably would’ve been dead by now... If I had been captured.” Hanji said, much softer than Levi had anticipated. “It was Titan.” Was all Hanji has to say.

“...You’re sure?” Levi asked.

“Positive. They had the logo on their weapons and such... They’re getting more dangerous Levi. They may have started off as a small bandit organization but at this rate... They’re recruiting too many members. Too many people are starting to see things from their perspective. And, as evidence by the weird tranquilizer in Eren’s system, they’re developing new weapons. I think they were using me as a test subject... they used a machine gun to attack me but they didn’t have a lot of ammo with them...” Hanji sighed. “I can’t believe I got a taste of what I do to monsters, being the experimenter is better than being the experiment!” Levi shook his head as he thought over what Hanji said. “Rose is probably the only kingdom that understands what Titan is doing right now... We’re the only ones that have had our people attacked so far.”

Petra spoke up after being silent for a long while. “It makes sense though, right? We’re a developing kingdom... Older and more well known kingdoms wouldn’t take our word seriously if we told them that Titan was a threat to everyone. They’d dismiss us, thinking that since we’re just beginning our rule bandits would most naturally believe they have a better shot at mugging us than a kingdom like Sina or Maria.”

Levi nodded in agreement. “We need to gather proof to bring these issues to other kingdoms. As much as I hate asking those other snobby kingdoms for help, I’m sure this’ll escalate to be a problem for them as well in the future too. We need to start forming alliances and fast.” Levi sighed and ran a hand down his face. When he accepted the role as king he never thought things would get this hectic so fast.

The king looked back at the brat Hanji had dragged in. “We’ll talk more about Titan later. So why did this bratty kid want to come here?”

Hanji perked up at the question and she laughed. “He wanted to sign up to help clear the areas of monsters. The kid is pretty hooked on discovering new things and he said he hadn’t faced too many of the monsters in this area. I also thought it would be a good chance for him to face a mutant silk worm, he seemed pretty set on seeing one after I gave him the cloth.”

Levi huffed as he started to walk out of the room, already bored with the kid’s story. “Whatever. As soon as he wakes up get him signed up and send him out. I don’t want him stinking up my castle anymore than he already has.”

“Yes sir!” Was all Levi heard as he left the bay and closed the door behind him.

That should have been the end of Levi thinking about the damn brat but something about him... made Levi feel anxious. He didn’t have a good feeling about the kid and the fact that he wore a cloth around his eyes... It made Levi even more suspicious.

Man, Levi thought, Hanji was always bringing trouble to his door.

***

Eren groaned as he came to his senses, blinking as he tried to adjust to the light in the room.

Everything around him was white... White doors, white walls, white floors. The prince sighed as he recalled the events that had transpired and brought him to this point. Who were those people?

“Ah! You’re up!” Hanji squealed gleefully from beside Eren.

He snorted softly as he looked up at Hanji and smiled a bit. “Yeah, I’m up. How are you—“ Eren’s eyes widened as he suddenly remembered he was trying to hide his eyes. He reached up to his face and sighed in relief when he realized the cloth hadn’t been removed.

Hanji watched the scene in amusement as she hummed thoughtfully. Levi was right, this boy was definitely hiding something.

“Relax, sleeping beauty. I didn’t let anyone touch your pretty face.” Hanji smiled wider when she saw the blush decorating Eren’s face from just under the cloth.

“Y-you don’t even know what I look like...” Eren grumbled as he went to sit up using his arms. He hissed in pain as he grabbed his right arm, the one that had been skimmed by the tranquilizer and felt it throb and burn from under his fingers. “Shit! What the... What is this?” The prince asked with a strained voice.

“Ah, yes. Seems the bandits who attacked us developed something special. All I’ve figured out about it so far is that it contains Pearus poison.” Hanji explained and Eren frowned as he cocked his head to the side in question.

“Pearus... poison? And why are you looking after me?” The prince asked and Hanji giggled.

“That’s right, you don’t know the monsters around here. Well, Peari are small monsters that aren’t very harmful. They’re almost like bunnies, if you will, but their ears are shorter and they have longer tails than bunnies. When the Peari feel threatened, they release a toxin from their body which is commonly called Peari poison. If it is consumed or injected, the victim will experience nausea, throbbing pain from the area of infection and feel the spot of injection burning. There’s no cure to it but it’s fairly easy to just sleep it off as usually the poison leaves the body within a day” Hanji smiled happily. “So you’ll be fine. Also! I’m a doctor here! Well, I preferred to be called a scientist but really I’m a doctor.”

Eren sighed in relief as he looked down at his injured arm. A white bondage had been wrapped around it carefully and Eren couldn’t help but laugh softly. 

He just got to Rose and already things were getting exciting.

Eren slowly pushed himself off the bed as he got on his feet, much to Hanji’s dismay.

“Eren! The poison hasn’t completely left your body yet! You need to keep resting while I watch over the effects it has on you!” Hanji blushed at the last part as she starting drooling over the thought of seeing how the poison affected Eren.

Eren shivered at the terrifying woman as he shook his head and grabbed his satchel which had been sat on a chair next to his bed. “Thanks for the concern but I just want to get signed up and go. Do you know where I can do that?”

Hanji sighed and stood up from her seat and grabbed Eren’s hand. She lead him down the massive hallways of the castle which Eren had expected to feel far too big just like at his old castle but... the halls were surprisingly pleasant. Flowers of all different kinds were potted on the walls and shelves, massive chandeliers hung from the roof and fairy lights adorned them. It was quite beautiful, Eren had to admit. Far more intriguing than the bare walls of his castle.

Hanji eventually led him to a board that was situated directly in front of the castle entrance. 

“This is the announcement board. The king put it here just temporarily until the town square is complete, then he’ll relocate it there.” Hanji explained as Eren examined the board and found the sign up sheet for monster clearing. There were several other names on there as Eren wrote his name below all the others.

“...Not many people are up for this, are they?” Eren inquired as he looked at the other names.

“Yeah, most of Rose’s citizens are from the underground black market. The king built Rose in order to give people from there a choice. They either come be apart of Rose or they keep rotting underground. That being said, many people followed the king here but now that they’ve tasted safety, most are hesitant to put themselves at risk.”

Eren was shocked by the story. He had heard gossip about Rose but he never heard that the kingdom had started off with literally nothing. “That... that’s amazing. One person managed to give hope to all these people?” Eren asked as he looked out of the castle entrance and gazed at the happy people walking the streets.

“You make him sound like a saint! Hahaha! He’s anything but!” Hanji burst into cackles as Eren only sighed at her. He had quite enough of this woman for today.

“Well, thanks for getting me here Hanji. I guess I’ll be taking my leave now.” Eren reached out to shake Hanji’s hand which the insane woman took once her giggles had died down.

“It was no problem! Make sure you take a bath and get some clean clothes!” Hanji giggled as Eren’s face went red.

“I-I don’t smell that bad, do I?!” Eren eventually sighed when he realized Hanji wasn’t going to give him and answer and he smiled at her once again. “But really, thanks for everything. I still haven’t really paid you back for the cloth so if you need anything you can ask me and I’ll see what I can do about it, okay?”

“I’ll hold you to it.” Hanji smiled her genuine smile and clapped Eren on his back. “Now hurry off! Go explore Rose until your expedition! Then at nightfall get yourself into an inn. Alright?”

Eren laughed. “Will do!” And with that Hanji watched the mysterious boy walk out of the castle and onto the streets.

Once Eren was far enough away, Hanji looked behind her and smiled wickedly. “Levi. It’s not like you to spy on me.”

“I wasn’t spying on _you_.” Levi said as he walked out of nowhere and suddenly materialized in front of Hanji. That was Levi’s secret trick he picked up back when he was still a brat in the underground. He called it Creep. Hanji had spent years trying to figure out how he managed to do the trick, to camouflage so well that nothing looked out of place until the person revealed themselves... The only reason Hanji knew when Levi was doing it was because she would always get the feeling she was being watched. Hanji never dismissed her gut feelings.

“Ah, so then you were looking at the hottie?” Hanji giggled as Levi rolled his eyes.

“How would I even know if he’s hot if I can’t see his eyes?” Levi clicked his tongue, the question supposed to be rhetorical but Hanji took it literally.

“I mean, he has some sharp cheekbones and his jaw... Levi, he could cut glass with that chin of his.” Levi thought about the boy’s face and agreed that the kid had some pretty striking features, from what he could see at least. Levi allowed himself a wicked smirk as he thought about grabbing that perfect chin and pulling away the blindfold from the boy’s eyes. He wanted to see the eyes that were worth hiding.

He wanted to see just who exactly this ‘Eren’ kid was. Looking around Hanji and at the board, Levi suddenly got an idea as he walked up to it and wrote ‘Levi’, just below Eren’s name. He could play the mysterious stranger role too. 

***

Eren wandered the town and couldn’t help but stare in awe at everything he passed. It was just so... lively. If he hadn’t known, he would’ve never thought that any of these people could’ve came from the underground slums. Everyone was smiling so happily... mothers lead their children around while husbands would wander off to find something of interest for the kids... Eren’s eyes widened as he quickly shook his head. That was precisely the thing he didn’t want. He didn’t want a life with another person, he wanted to be free and be choose his own path.

But even still, the young prince had to admit that he enjoyed the look of happiness on everyone’s faces.

The prince continued to look around the kingdom for a while before he realized that he indeed still needed a bath and fresh clothes. Spotting a clothes shop not far from him, Eren took out a small pouch filled with coins. It should get him through a few days, the prince smiled and went to pick out some new clothes.

***

Reiner hissed as he shifted irritably, his lower back aching and pounding. Man, he really made a mistake... he thought he could last longer but he realized he couldn’t take it anymore. 

The blond jumped off the horse he had been riding for about twenty eight hours in total and limped as he cried out in relief. “Thank gosh! Ahhhh, feels so freaking good to be off this damn boulder!”

Bertholdt could only laugh at his friend’s antics while Annie just rolled her eyes, but her eyes sparkled in amusement.

The trio had long since come to terms that there was no use worrying over Eren, knowing he could take care of himself until they found him. They still wanted to find him as quick as possible, of course, but they all decided that instead of letting their fears take control of them, they’d play it smart and keep their minds clear. That’s what Eren would’ve wanted them to do.

Reiner smiled as he looked up at the beautifully blue sky from below the trees. The blond couldn’t help but let his mind wander off to memories of just him and Eren.

They always watched the sky together, enjoying the way it changed from a blue to an orange-pink hue at dawn and then change into a dark purple at night... The look on Eren’s face as he admired something so simple... It made Reiner’s heart skip a beat each time.

The blond was fully aware by this point that he had completely fallen for Eren and was willing to do anything for the man but... It made Reiner realize something else. There were so many other people willing to do anything they could for the prince as well. Annie and Bertholdt would give their lives up for Eren any day, Mikasa and Armin would marry anyone they had to in order for Eren to keep his freedom, the king and queen would destroy whoever so much as made Eren frown... How was Reiner different to Eren than any of these people? Was he just another person who fell for the prince’s personality, lured in by the prince’s strikingly good looks? 

Reiner let out a sigh as he faced forwards again. It wasn’t like it really mattered in the end, what he was to Eren that is. The prince would never love someone the way Reiner loved him, but the blond took comfort in that. If he couldn’t have Eren then that really meant no one else could either. He was the closest person to Eren romantically, after all.

***

Eren sat in wait for the five other warriors by the back exit of Rose, the gate leading to the woods chained with multiple locks. There were at least ten guards that stood in front of it with loaded guns and swords strapped to their backs. Talk about high security.

Eren had gone back to the announcement board earlier that day to recheck the time and meeting place and while looking over the instructions, he had seen a name just below his. The name said ‘Levi’, no last name or anything of the sort, just a simple name. That was all it was so why did it stick with Eren even two hours later? There was just something about it that made Eren feel like he’s heard it before. 

Shrugging off his curiosity to the best of his abilities, Eren sighed from his spot on the bench he found and played with the pommel of his sword. The emerald embedded in it felt cool on his finger tips as he gently ran his fingers over it. For some reason it brought him ease whenever he started to question what he was doing, as soon as he would make contact with the gem his mind would clear up and he’d instantly know what he wanted to do. Eren smiled softly as he realized that’s what Reiner was to him... Being around the blond man always made him feel at ease and keep his head clear because he knew Reiner would support him through anything he did. The thought made Eren feel guilty.

He should’ve at least told Reiner where he was going... The prince had no doubt that the blond would’ve even offered to go with him. The prince couldn’t do that though, Reiner had a life he wanted to live just like Eren did, and to take advantage of his relationship with Reiner just to make things easier on himself, Eren wouldn’t be able to forgive himself. Reiner was too important to him to do something as selfish as that. 

Eren was kicked out of his daydreams, quite literally, as he fell off the bench and onto the gravel below him, landing on his bottom. Both his side and butt hurt from where two impacts had taken place.

“W-what the...” Eren growled as he looked up at a raven haired man who was just putting his leg down from kicking the young prince. “What the hell was that for?!” Eren scowled and the raven haired man just raised an eyebrow, face not showing any emotion.

“If you’re going to get so lost in your thoughts you can’t even see someone in front of you, then you shouldn’t be going into the forest. You’ll be the death of yourself or someone else.” Was all the guy said as he walked forward to talk to the guards, them nodding and starting to unlock the massive gate.

Eren growled as he glared at the back of the man’s head, not that it really mattered because no one could see his eyes anyways but still.

Who did that asshole think he was?! Just kicking a person like that! And here Eren thought everyone in Rose was extraordinarily nice, if those women who offered to help him pick out clothes were anything to go by.

“That’s Levi.” A soft voice spoke to Eren and he whipped his head back around to come face to face with a small, strawberry blond woman. She held out her hand and smiled at him.

“Oh, thank you.” Eren said as he took her hand and she helped him up. “Why is that guy such a... a...” Eren couldn’t find a word that wasn’t vulgar.

“What, a hard ass?” Petra laughed and Eren snorted and nodded.

“Yeah... Everyone I’ve met so far has been super nice... I guess I was just kind of shocked there’d be someone like him around here.” Eren explained as he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, trying to ignore the massive height difference between himself and the woman in front of him.

She blinked up at him owlishly. “You mean you don’t know who he is?” 

Eren frowned. “Am I supposed to?”

Petra giggled and shook her head. “Never mind, you’ll find out eventually! Anyways, my name is Petra. It’s nice to meet you.” Eren told her his name in return and she then took Eren’s hand and pulled him towards the gate, four men now standing there including Levi.

“Done with your tantrum, brat?” A man with light brown hair and undercut asked him with his best monotone voice and stoic facade he could manage. Eren couldn’t help but think the man looked constipated. 

“Done mimicking that guy?” Eren retorted back, pointing at Levi. It didn’t take a genius to figure out this guy wanted to be like the raven haired man.

Petra sighed and dropped Eren’s hand. “Auruo, be nice. Eren, let me introduce you to everyone. You’ve already met Levi of course. The one pretending to be Levi is Auruo, the man with the weird hair point is Gunther and the one with the stubble is Eld. Everyone, this is Eren. Now please, just try to get along.” Petra crossed her arms and waited.

“If the brat doesn’t keep his mouth in line then you can expect me to whip him into shape.” Auruo snorted and smirked in response. 

The young prince wasn’t usually one for bragging but he knew what he was capable of and judging by this man in front of him, he could take him out easily. “I’d like to see you try, Auruo.” Eren purred the man’s name and he ignored the weird look he was getting from Levi.

This only made Auruo angry as he stalked up to Eren and grabbed the prince by his collar. “You damn brat! I’ll make you eat your words—“ That’s when Eren lunged.

The prince grabbed Auruo by his shoulders and used that as leverage as he lifted his legs up to wrap around the man’s neck. Flipping himself over, Eren was now on the Auruo’s back, his legs still wrapped tightly around his neck as the prince pulled backwards and both men fell to the ground. Eren kept the choke hold as he smirked at Auruo, the man now looking up at Eren with wide eyes.

“Still think you could get me to eat my words?” Auruo shook his head furiously and Eren smirked. 

“Good.” With that, Eren released Auruo and stood up, looking back down at the man who was now bleeding from his mouth.

“You made me bite my tongue, stupid kid!” Auruo yelled through gasps of air. 

Petra looked at the scene with shock and mild irritation. Had she not just told them to get along? And where did Eren learn moves like that?

The strawberry blond looked around and even Levi seemed to be in shock. Looking back at Eren, Petra watched as he just shrugged at her.

“Sorry. Just wanted to prove I’m not as weak as he was making me out to be. I’ll try to get along with everyone now.”

Suddenly, Eld let out a snort and approached Eren to clap him on the back. “Not bad, it’s nice to see Auruo get his ass handed to him once in a while. You’re alright, kid.” Eren smiled nervously as Gunther joined in.

Levi watched from the sidelines but he had to admit, he didn’t think Eren would have the balls to full on attack one of his best soldiers.

Turning around, Levi allowed himself a smirk. The brat was getting more interesting by the second.

***

The group of six had been travelling through the woods for about an hour now, coming across only lowly goblins mostly and the occasional threatening monster. The problem with such a small group was that they couldn’t divide into large enough groups to spread out over the lands. No matter how skilled they were, very threatening monsters could even wipe out ten highly skilled warriors at once.

“Levi, we won’t clear the forests in even five years at this rate.” Petra said as she looked up at him worriedly. The rest of the group were chatting to Eren as they kept watch at the back.

Levi, leading the expedition, sighed. “Yeah, I know that. Splitting up would be too dangerous for you all though and I’m not putting someone with that brat. I don’t know who he is and I won’t put any of you in that danger.”

“I’d be fine partnering up with him, he seems like a good person, honestly.” Petra said although she too had her own doubts about Eren. Someone with nothing to hide wouldn’t wear a mask.

“I would fucking never do that.” Levi sighed as he ran a hand down his face. “You got a kid, Petra. I’m not going to be responsible for making Christa an orphan because I made the mistake of letting you partner up with a random guy. Look, we’ll split up into three groups. You go with Auruo, Eld and Gunther will be the next pair and I’ll keep my eyes on the kid.”

Petra looked up at him in shock. “You’re our king! I can’t let you do that! What if something happens to you?! It’ll be safer if you go with Auruo and I just go with Eren—“ 

“Petra. This isn’t up for debate. It’s an order. Now go tell everyone else.” With a weird look on her face, Petra sighed and stopped, the rest of the group following her lead. She told them the plan and to which they all agreed. 

When the strawberry blond looked at Eren, she couldn’t help but laugh. Even with a cloth on his eyes, she could see his displeased face.

“Oh, Eren... you’ll be fine, Levi isn’t that bad once you get to know him. He’s actually really caring.” Petra said fondly and Eren sighed. 

“I mean, I guess I’ll just have to take your word for it. I’ll see you in a few hours.” Eren smiled. “Stay safe and take care of that weird guy.” Petra laughed and with that Eren jogged away from her to catch up with Levi.

The woman smiled softly as she prayed that Eren was really as good as she thought him to be. It would suck if she or Levi had to take him out.

***

It had been about half an hour and Levi had yet to say something to him. Eren felt like he’d go crazy if this silence kept up.

“...So... who exactly are you?” Was all Eren could think of to ask and when he didn’t get an answer he just frowned and tried again. “If I’m entrusting my life with a guy I just met, I’d like to at least know your status—“ That was when Levi whipped around and Eren had to stop abruptly to avoid crashing into the man. “W-what the hell—“

“I could say the same about you.” Levi said as he glared down Eren. “I don’t know who you are and I don’t even know what you look like. Yet, I let you come along with my group of most trusted soldiers, putting their lives in danger and here you are wondering who I am.”

Eren couldn’t find a comeback. He was in too much shock at the man’s sudden outburst to even say anything.

Levi just rolled his eyes and turned back around, continuing on. He didn’t hear Eren follow him for a good five seconds but then heard the brat continue as well.

After five minutes in uncomfortable silence, Eren spoke up again. “You must be a nobleman or something.”

This pissed Levi off as he whipped his head around at the brat again but something about Eren’s demeanor was different. He stood there completely calm as he nodded his head.

“You care about them, even with your ‘no bullshit’ attitude it’s obvious you really care about each of them. That’s why you made me come with you right? If things came to worse, you knew you’d be able to take me out if it came to that.”

Levi couldn’t do anything but stare at the man he had taken for an idiot. All this time he thought the kid was just some immature brat who was just recklessly throwing himself into situations, I mean, why else would he sign up for such a dangerous job for a kingdom he didn’t even belong to?

“How’d you get nobleman from that?” Levi questioned, not really seeing how Eren came to that conclusion with his explanation.

A faint blush tinted Eren’s cheeks and he looked away. “W-well... from where I’m from I guess you could consider me a nobleman too... Well, I at least came from a noble family. I care for all my people too... So much that I’d trade my life for theirs. But, it’s also how you order people around like it’s nothing, how I got to that conclusion. Just like any other high statused person, you order them around like you’re used to it and that there’s no room for arguments. So... you must be pretty important if those people are following your every command without question.”

Levi smirked. “Hmm, yeah, close enough, brat.” Levi walked up to Eren and folded his arms. “I think you’ve squirmed enough, I’ll tell you who I am.”

Eren’s eyes widened from underneath his cloth as all of a sudden Levi reached up and yanked the blood red material off of his face. Levi’s eyes also widened at the sight of Eren’s gorgeous eyes but he quickly recovered and smirked again.

“Eren, I am King Levi of Kingdom Rose.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I uh watched all of Ouran High School Host Club... and caught up on Gakuen Babysitters while writing this... so basically I’m trying to say I paid no attention at all writing this and instead squealed over cute animes.  
> Anywayyyysss please leave comments to let me know how you’re enjoying it or leave helpful tips on how I can better my writing! Thank you!


	4. Chapter 4

”Ah...” Was all Eren could say as Levi pulled his blindfold off. 

“Heh, so that’s what was under this measly cloth.” Levi smirked at Eren as the raven haired man admired Eren’s eyes.

Once the young prince’s brain caught up with what was happening, he panicked and quickly looked down and away from Levi. “Bastard! Give it back!” Eren couldn’t believe this... this person was the king!

“Hmm... Maybe I will. That is if you tell me why you feel the need to hide your eyes.” Levi raised an eyebrow expectantly, secretly wishing the boy would look up again so Levi could admire his beautiful, teal orbs once more.

“They just, they’ve gotten me into trouble before, alright?! Now hurry up and give me it back! How the hell are you the king...” Levi snorted at the last part but much to the king’s disappointment, Eren stayed stubborn and didn’t look up. The brat was also a horrible liar.

“What kind of trouble?” Levi pressed on, not willing to budge. He chose to ignore Eren’s little comment about him being the king.

“What does it matter to you?!” Eren spat as he looked up at Levi in sudden fury.

The king’s eyes widened as he took every second he got to look at those eyes.

They were absolutely stunning, undeciding whether they were blue or green and all throughout them they had gold streaks and flecks. Levi had never seen irises as beautiful as Eren’s.

After snapping out of his trance, Levi processed what Eren had asked and glared at the boy with a dangerous glint in his eyes.

“I’m not asking you, Eren. I’m demanding you tell me why you keep your eyes covered.”

Eren growled and something in his eyes flickered, to which Levi’s breath caught in his throat. 

It was like looking into the eyes of a wild beast, fiery determination setting in and it made Levi’s heart start pounding rapidly. It was... thrilling.

“I don’t belong to Rose, you horrid king.” Eren spat once again. “I’m not going to tell you anything I don’t want you to know.”

Oh, this was bad. So very bad. Levi couldn’t help himself, he wanted to keep Eren for himself, those eyes only for him to look at. He wanted those beautiful, prideful eyes to only shine and sparkle for him.

“Eren, you’re in Rose. Anyone in my kingdom, I have control over. So you can either be a cooperative boy or you can try to defy me and end up in a cell. Which do you choose?”

Eren’s eyes flickered for a moment, fear leaking into them but it disappeared just as quickly as it appeared. Levi didn’t know why, but the sight made him shiver.

“I’ll take my chances with the cell.” Eren growled as he took note of how Levi gave him a choice, just what the king was known for.

Levi stared hard at the boy before him for a few moments and sighed, letting the charade end. “I’m just kidding, brat. Throwing someone in a cell for hiding something, I’d have to arrest all the people of Rose if that were the case.” Levi tossed Eren his blindfold, the brunette tying it on as quickly as possible.

After securing his blindfold, Eren looked up only to see Levi’s hand coming at him.

The prince flinched but when he looked up again, Levi was holding his hand out for him to take. Staring at The king’s hand for a second, Eren only huffed as he pushed it away and got up himself. The prince met Levi’s eyes, the dark haired man only raising an eyebrow at him but Eren could tell from the glint in his eyes that he was amused. What an asshole.

“Keep that up brat and I’ll really lock you up.” Levi threatened softly as his heart started pounding again from adrenaline rushing through him. Eren frowned, not quite catching all of Levi’s sentence.

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Let’s just go.”

Shrugging it off, Eren followed Levi into the woods once more, although staying a bit farther behind the man than he had been previously. 

Eren couldn’t help but stare at the back of Levi’s head, taking notice as to how muscular he really was. The prince had to admit that what the guy had accomplished was amazing, he was only like, what, maybe in his early twenties? And he had already managed to clean up the slums and create a kingdom that was quickly developing. Eren couldn’t believe that.

Stopping dead in his tracks, Eren just looked at the man ahead of him, Levi stopping once he realized Eren wasn’t following him anymore.

“What? Need a shit?” Levi asked and Eren shook his head furiously, mortified the ‘king’ would even think of something like that.

No way. No way in hell was this guy really a king. Eren refused to believe that a guy as vulgar and rude as the man before him was actually the ruler of Rose. And after all the stories he had heard of kingdom’s king being so amazing, there was just no way.

Eren chalked it up to him hearing things as he sighed and continued to walk, Levi shrugging and continuing as well.

What Eren couldn’t see, however, was the wicked smirk on Levi’s face. The king was very amused by Eren’s reactions.

The raven wouldn’t mind it if the brat stayed in Rose for a while.

***

Easily clearing their section of the forest, the duo decided to head back to the rendezvous point where Eld and Gunther were already waiting for them but... Auruo and Petra were no where to be seen.

Levi, losing his stoic demeanor, ran up to Eld and Gunther. “Where are they?” 

“I-I don’t know... maybe they’re late? Or got held up by a monster?” Gunther offered, although he didn’t seem convinced with his own argument. 

“That’s bullshit and you know it.” Levi snapped. “Gunther and Eld, go back to town and tell Hanji to get her medical shit ready. Also prepare a group of ten soldiers to go into the forest and send them our way. Eren, you come with me.”

“S-sure...” Eren said as Levi ran off in the direction Petra and Auruo had gone off in. Gunther and Eld took their leave as well, running back in the direction of the castle while Eren’s body caught up with the situation and started running after Levi.

Eren felt his knees start to get weak about ten minutes into the sprint but when he started to hear the faint sounds of yelling, he only ran faster.

Levi seemed to have picked up on the sound as well as he suddenly turned swiftly, Eren right behind him and they both continued to follow the sound.

The yells were getting louder as they felt vibrations through the ground and loud roaring of a monster up ahead.

Levi cursed and pulled out his sword while Eren did the same.

They kept getting closer to the source of the sound and by now they could tell it was Auruo who was screaming for help... Eren couldn’t hear Petra’s voice though. That was not a good sign.

Levi ran faster than Eren could’ve ever hoped to be able to run as he spotted a clearing just a few meters ahead of them.

The king went bursting through the trees and saw a terrifying sight.

Auruo, who was holding a bloodied Petra in his arms, was on the ground with cuts that lacerated his entire body. He still managed to hold his sword up in defence, however, as he waved it around frantically to keep the three, ten meter tall monsters away from him and Petra. 

They were terrifying, unlike anything Levi had ever laid eyes on. They looked like humanoids but so much larger, and they possessed large, sharp teeth designed to grind anything that entered their mouths up to dust. Their claws were at least a metre long as well, the ends sharper than a needle point.

“Oh my god...” Levi heard Eren say and Levi quickly looked over his shoulder at the brat who started to slow down his running once he’d seen the beasts.

Levi clenched his teeth as he continued to run at the monsters. He would defeat these ugly things without Eren’s help.

Levi charged at the closest creature and continued to run up it’s back while it was distracted with Auruo and stabbed the creature from the base of it’s neck up to the top of it’s skull. Blood sprayed out of it and onto Levi as the monster quivered and started to fall backwards. Levi quickly jumped off before he was crushed. One done, two to go.

Levi looked at the second creature but it was already too late, he had gotten the attention of both monsters now and they were coming at him. 

Levi cursed under his breath, knowing the first one had been an easy kill because it wasn’t focused on him... but two of these creatures coming at him head on, there was no way he’d come out of this unscathed.

Taking a deep breath, Levi was about to run at it when a rock hit one of the creatures on the side of it’s ugly head.

Both creatures immediately whipped their heads around to look in the direction the rock had come from only to have another rock thrown into one of the creature’s eyes. The creature howled in pain and Levi took this chance to look to his right and see Eren standing a few yards away from him, whipping rock after rock at the monsters. 

“Hey! Yeah! I’m over here!” Eren yelled, waving his arms to get their attention.

The monsters stood there, stunned for a few moments and Levi took this chance to run at the nearest creature and cut along the back of it’s heel in a swift motion.

The monster, now unable to stand due to the cut tendons, started to fall onto its side and once its head made contact with the ground, Levi rammed his sword as far as he could into its skull. After a few seconds of seizing, the monster lay still.

Two out of three. One more left.

Levi quickly pulled his sword out and was about to go for the third when it sprang in the direction of Eren, running full speed.

Levi cursed as he yelled out.

“Fucking brat! Run!”

Eren immediately turned around and started running into the trees, hoping they would slow the monster down. They did anything but as the monster just ran straight through them, as if they were merely just blades of grass.

Eren cursed himself as he continued to run through the forest as fast as he could, stumbling occasionally as the monster was gaining on him.

This couldn’t be how he died, right? He still hadn’t seen all of the world or fought other monsters... He also hadn’t said good bye to his parents or friends, he had to stay alive!

“If you don’t fight, you can’t win...” Eren whispered to himself as he forced himself to run faster. The prince’s heart sunk when he saw the stony walls of a cliff suddenly approaching and realized he had reached a dead end.

Eren had no choice but to fight the monster head on.

Abruptly stopping, Eren forced his body to start moving towards the monster who was only meters away from him. 

“If you don’t fight you can’t win—“ Eren managed to gasp out as the creature swung at Eren, to which the prince managed to dodge as he ran up to the creature’s leg and started to cut away at it. This caused the monster to fall to one knee but it didn’t give up on its meal.

It swing once again at Eren and this time Eren had to lunge to avoid the sharp claws. The boy fell to the ground as he quickly got on his back to block the blow of claws coming down at him, however he couldn’t block the pinky claw and the prince screamed in agony as it just entered his right shoulder.

Eren’s arms shook as the monster kept pushing the nasty daggers down on him. The brunette knew he couldn’t keep this up for long as angry tears started to well up in his eyes. He couldn’t die here... He had to keep fighting for his life until his heart stopped beating.

“If I don’t fight—“ the claw was inches from Eren’s face now. “—I can’t win—“

Suddenly blood started to spray from the monsters head and the body started to fall. Eren hissed as he quickly pulled himself free from the claw and rolled away from the monster before he was crushed.

The monster fell to the ground with a loud ‘thump’, dead and unmoving.

Eren groaned as he saw Levi jump off the back of the creature and rush towards Eren, falling to his knees as he looked over the boy’s shoulder.

“You idiot...” Levi growled as he quickly tore off a piece of his shirt to hold against Eren’s bleeding wound. 

“Put your hands over it and don’t you fucking dare let go.” Levi commanded and Eren nodded as he put his hand over Levi’s and applied pressure. Only then did the king remove his hand and helped Eren up.

“You can still run, right?” Levi asked quickly.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Eren said, although he really wasn’t ‘fine’. 

Accepting it as an answer anyways, Levi and Eren ran back to the area where Petra and Auruo were, only to see a group of soldiers helping them.

“They got here fast.” Levi grumbled as he approached the soldiers who were taking care of Petra.

Eren quickly caught up and his blood ran cold at the sight.

Petra was passed out with deep cuts all over her body, blood covering her nearly head to toe. Eren could barely see her chest rising and falling as she took small, shallow breathes.

“Get her on a board and bring her back to the castle immediately!” Levi yelled, assisting the soldiers in taking care of Petra as they quickly stabilized her on a medical board they had brought with them.

Eren looked away from the gruesome sight and instead opted to help Auruo, who was in fact still conscious and in a better state than Petra. Only two other guards were assisting him when Eren approached.

The man didn’t even look up at the young prince, instead keeping his head down in shame.

“...I told her to run. I tried to get them to follow me but they just... They kept going after her. I couldn’t do anything, I just watched them... Tear her to shreds...” Tears started to stream down Auruo’s face as Eren put his good hand on the man’s shoulder. 

“You did really well, you’re probably the only reason she’s alive right now...” Eren said softly but this only made Auruo cry harder.

“Christa... If that little girl turns into an orphan because of me I don’t know what’d I’d do...” Auruo gasped through sobs. “Her dad is out clearing forests farther away a-and her mom is now in this state... What kind of uncle am I?!” The man broke down and Eren could do nothing but keep a firm grip on his shoulder.

“Don’t give up on her yet, she’s still alive. So... don’t make her out to be a dead woman.” Eren offered and this seemed to make Auruo snap back as he took a deep breath and nodded, looking up at Eren with teary eyes.

“Y-yeah... You’re right.”

“Eren, help Auruo get back to the castle, we’re going ahead!” Levi called as the king took eight soldiers with him to carry Petra off on the board.

Eren and the two other soldiers helped Auruo up and the injured man used them as crutches, Eren leading them back as he kept watch for monsters.

It didn’t take them quite as long as Eren thought, knowing they had easily been two hours out into the woods but it took them just under an hour, to which Eren was thankful for. Auruo looked like he was going to pass out soon due to blood loss and fatigue.

When they reached the gates, doctors and more soldiers rushed to Auruo’s aid and Eren sighed in relief as they started their work on him. 

One doctor approached Eren and offered to patch up his arm and Eren accepted, letting the doctor remove his shirt and quickly clean his wound. After it was disinfected, the doctor then proceeded to put gauze on it and wrap it up with a thick bandage that went around Eren’s torso and his injured shoulder.

Thanking the doctor, Eren put on his shirt and winced at the dark blood that stained the sleeve where he was injured. A large hole also exposed his white bandages from beneath. Eren sighed as he realized he would have to buy new clothes again.

Unknowing as to what he should do now, Eren opted to go to the castle, remembering Levi telling Eld and Gunther to inform Hanji to get ready. 

The brunette made his way past the crowd of people who were respectful enough to stay outside as he slipped into the castle and started down the hallway he and Hanji had came out of before. 

A small blood path lead Eren to the doors of the medical bay which were open as doctors scrambled inside. The prince could hear Hanji barking orders out and when Eren looked inside, his body froze.

Petra was lying on the same board she had been evacuated on and had pools of blood around her body. Multiple IVs were attached to her left arm as doctors frantically tried to stop the bleeding with towels which blood soaked through.

The sight made Eren want to vomit as he quickly looked away and instead made eye contact with Levi who was inside the medical bay. 

He was helping Hanji keep the IVs stable and suddenly, the king looked very tired. His eyes were filled with worry and doubt as Eren looked at the man who had seemed like an asshole before, only to watch him start to break down.

The prince had known Petra and Levi were really close and he couldn’t even imagine what was going through the king’s head to see his friend like this. 

Hell, Eren had barely known Petra and he felt like he was going to cry at the scene.

Both Levi and Eren froze however, when they heard a small, childish voice screaming down the hallway.

“Momma! Momma!” Eren turned his head to see a small girl, no older than seven, run down the hallway towards him. She had wide, blue eyes that were filled with tears as she tried to avoid the blood on the ground.

“Christa! Stay out!” Eren heard Levi call and the prince realized this was Petra’s daughter.

Eren immediately ran at the girl before she could come near the medical bay. He leaned down to scoop her up in his arms, wincing at his injury but ignoring it as he fell against the wall, letting it guide him down to the floor.

The girl struggled in his grasp, pushing at him and kicking him wherever she could. “No! Let go of me! Let me see momma!” She pounded at Eren with her small fists, eventually connecting with Eren’s injured arm.

“Crap...” he hissed as he held onto the girl tighter. Christa didn’t let up as she started to cry and hit Eren harder.

“Let me see her! Let me see my mom!” She screamed and didn’t stop until Eren spoke.

“Your mom... Is trying to focus on getting better right now... If she hears you screaming, she’ll start worrying about you instead of herself.” Eren groaned out as Christa instantly stopped her attack on the man subduing her. 

“I-if I stop... she’ll be able to get better?” Christa asked, keeping her voice low as she looked up at Eren with wide eyes filled with worry.

“Yeah. She’ll be able to get better.” Eren offered the best smile he could, although Levi was right, he was a bad liar.

“You’re lying.” Christa said as she started to struggle again. “You’re lying!”

“Okay, maybe I am.” Eren admitted as he held tightly onto Christa so she wouldn’t escape. “But she’s fighting right now. She’s fighting for her life and... If she doesn’t fight, she can’t win. So, let her focus on her battle.” Eren pleaded as Christa stopped once again, tears now streaming down her face.

“She’s... fighting...” Christa breathed as she calmed down and looked at Eren’s now bleeding arm. “Y-you’re arm! I’m sorry!” She cried out as she looked at the wound with horrified eyes.

Eren quickly moved Christa to his opposite shoulder, letting her lean against him while he shielded his injured shoulder from her.

“It’s nothing, just a scratch.” Eren said as he smiled at her.

Christa made a face before reaching up to gently tug at Eren’s blindfold. “Can I..?” Christa asked softly and when Eren didn’t resist, she gently pulled it down. 

The small girl gasped when she saw Eren’s eyes. “So... pretty.” She whispered as Eren smiled at her.

“Same as yours.” Christa blushed when Eren said that and giggled. “Hey, Christa. Hang out with me for a bit while we wait for your mom, okay?” Eren asked and Christa nodded.

“Okay.”

***

Levi watched Eren and Christa from the entrance of the medical bay. He couldn’t help but give the kid kudos for keeping Christa calm in a time like this and silently thanked the brat for keeping the blond girl away from the scene.

Sighing in relief, Levi left the two as he walked up to Hanji who was currently calming down as she got Petra into a stable condition.

“She’s fine, for now.” Hanji started, not even needing Levi to ask her what was going on. “She does need surgery, however. She needs blood, tissue transplants and... Levi I don’t know if her body will be okay after this... she’s barely hanging on—“ Hanji shut up immediately as Petra groaned and opened her eyes slowly.

Levi’s heart ached as she looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. “S-sir...” Petra gasped out. 

“Shh... save your strength.” Levi said surprisingly soft as he gently took Petra’s hand and gave it a little squeeze.

“I’m sorry, we couldn’t get away... Is Auruo..?” Petra asked despite Levi’s command. 

“He’s fine.” Levi said immediately. “The doctors told me he’s going to be just fine.”

Petra gave a weak smile. “Thank gosh... A-and Christa... Tell her I love her.”

Levi furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Petra with a pained look. “You sound like you’ve already given up on living.” 

Petra smiled softly as tears entered her eyes. “I don’t want to die but... Look at me, Levi. I don’t think I can really come back from this. My insides are all jumbled up and I can barely feel anything neck down. I’m basically a dead girl barely breathing.”

“That’s not true—“ Levi said when he was cut off by the sound of Christa giggling from the halls.

“Christa...” Petra smiled as a few tears slipped down her cheeks. “Who’s with her?”

“Eren... He kept her out of the room.” Levi responded and Petra smiled gratefully.

“Tell him I said thanks. I don’t really want her to see me like this.”

“Umm, I don’t mean to interrupt, but Petra, we really need to get you into surgery now. Do you... want to see Christa before you go in?” Hanji asked hurriedly.

“Of course I want to but don’t, please. She shouldn’t have to see her mom like this.” Petra said softly as she closed her eyes, a pained expression on her face.

Levi sighed. “I’ll go tell her what you said then.” Letting go of her hand, Levi left the room to walk out of the room and approach Christa and Eren.

The two looked up at the king and Levi gasped at the sight of Eren’s eyes but quickly recovered as he spoke. “Hey, munchkin. Your mom is going into surgery now and she just wanted to let you know she’s going to be fine and that she loves you. I’ll watch over you until she comes out, okay—“

“No!” Christa yelled as she shook her head furiously. She got up and started crying once again. “I want to see momma! Let me see her!”

Levi didn’t know what to tell the kid and was about to break the truth to her when suddenly Eren spoke up.

“You can’t see your momma right now, Christa. But, do you want to talk to her?” Christa whipped her head at Eren and nodded furiously. 

The prince smiled as he took his blindfold and put it on Christa, making sure the red side was against her eyes. “You can’t see anything, right?”

“Nope...” Christa mumbled as she let Eren tie it around her eyes. 

“Good. Now, let’s go speak to your mom.” Eren said softly as he got up with a wince and Levi noticed Eren’s bleeding shoulder but didn’t question it.

Eren picked Christa up and Levi got out of their way so they could enter the medical bay.

The prince carried Christa up to Petra’s bed and the strawberry blond just smiled when she saw her baby girl. “Oh, my beautiful princess.”

“Momma!” Christa cried as Eren gently placed her down beside Petra.

With great effort, Petra lifted a shaking hand to place on Christa’s head as she gently petted her, careful not to disturb the blindfold.

“My darling, I love you so much.” Petra laughed softly as Christa grabbed her mom’s hand and pressed it against her lips.

“Momma, you’re going to fight, right?” Christa asked suddenly and Petra blinked in confusion.

“Pardon?”

“Fight, you’re going to fight, right? The man with the blindfold said that if you didn’t fight, you couldn’t win!” Christa exclaimed as she squeezed her mother’s hand and Petra felt her heart beat rapidly against her chest.

She smiled and looked up at Eren and the first thing she noticed was his striking eyes. She laughed softly and nodded.

“Yeah. Mom’s going to fight.” Was the last thing she said as she let go of her daughter. “I love you Christa. I’ll see you soon.” Petra whispered and Christa nodded.

The strawberry blond woman, now filled with a new determination smiled thankfully at Eren and mouthed a ‘thank you’ before Hanji started to wheel Petra off into the surgery room at the back of the bay. 

Eren took Christa’s hand and gently lead her out of the medical bay before taking off the blindfold.

“Mister, you should keep the blindfold off.” Christa said just as Eren was about to put it back on. “You’re really pretty without it.”

Eren blushed and decided he could keep it off for a while. The two turned around when they heard the bay doors close and saw Levi standing in front of it.

Eren stared at the man who’s grey eyes were looking back at him. The two shared a secret look before Eren watched Levi’s face soften.

It was the first time the prince thought he could see the man smile.

***

Eren winced in pain as Christa slept against him, drooling slightly but Levi could only look at the scene with mild disgust. She was too cute for Levi to stay mad at her for drooling all over the place.

That’s right, while Petra was getting her surgery done, Levi had offered Eren a guest bedroom in the castle. Christa had ended up coming with the boy and falling asleep against him while Levi tended to Eren’s open wound.

It was a deep gash but wasn’t serious, Levi felt relief over that. He didn’t know why he was so glad the brat was okay, considering he still knew next to nothing about Eren but Levi did know that he didn’t fancy the idea of the kid dying on him any time soon.

Cleaning the mangled flesh with rubbing alcohol, Levi couldn’t help but sigh as Eren welped in pain. It felt like the king was kicking a puppy repeatedly.

“Keep that up brat and I won’t be able to finish.” Levi snapped and Eren pouted. This made the king’s heart start to pound against his chest as Eren looked up at him with glistening eyes.

“It’s not my fault a monster stabbed me.” Eren grumbled but tried to keep quiet as Levi finished.

The king wrapped gauze around the wound before using fresh bandages, wrapping them tightly around Eren’s shoulder and then his torso to keep them in place.

Levi allowed his hands to brush over the young boy’s chest, feeling his surprisingly soft skin underneath his hands.

The kid shivered at the contact and Levi’s smirked up at the kid. Due to Christa’s convincing, Eren didn’t put his blindfold back on so Levi could see every emotion swirling in the boy’s eyes. Those damn gorgeous eyes that made Levi go insane.

“There. Finished.” Levi said, managing to tear his gaze away from the eyes that always managed to capture him in a trance every time he looked at them.

Eren sighed in relief. “Thank you.” The kid mumbled as Levi tossed him a clean shirt, a simple green shirt that had leathers strings tying it up at the front.

It was a tight fitting shirt that showed off Eren’s chest and outlined his abs perfectly from underneath the cloth and Levi had to look away quickly.

If this kid wore shirts like that every day in front of Levi, the king swore he would push Eren down at some point.

Eren didn’t seem to notice Levi’s reaction as he sighed and looked down at the girl resting her head in his lap.

“...Do you think Petra will be okay?” Eren asked softly as he gently brushed stray hairs out from Christa’s face.

Levi looked at the girl before answering. “I don’t know.” He answered truthfully. “I believe in Hanji though, and Petra seemed pretty determined to get better after seeing Christa.”

Eren nodded slowly. “I guess we just have to stay optimistic then, huh?” Levi nodded in response as he sat down on the bed and sighed as let himself fall backwards, his head landing just in front of Eren.

The king let himself look up at the kid’s eyes as Eren looked down at him in shock.

“Christa’s right. You should keep the blindfold off. Your eyes are really pretty.” Eren’s face started to heat up and the king just smirked at the brat before him as he closed his eyes, letting himself rest.

“I don’t mean to ruin the mood but, um... What were those things?” Eren asked softly as Levi groaned and looked back up at the kid.

Not being able to answer his question, Levi only shrugged half heartedly. “No idea. I’ve never come across them before.” Levi recalled fighting the monsters and felt something unfamiliar rise up in him: fear. He wanted to know what those things were too.

The king remembered Eren’s look of horror when he saw the beasts and had Levi not been filled with adrenaline, he imagined he would’ve looked the same.

Speaking of Eren and the beasts...

“You shitty brat.” Levi suddenly sighed and covered his eyes with his forearm.

“E-excuse me?!” The brat asked in shock, not knowing why Levi was suddenly angry at him.

“Don’t pull a stupid stunt like that again, you hear me?” Levi growled as he allowed himself to look up at Eren’s eyes once more. “You’re fucking lucky you got away with the injury you did. If I didn’t come running after you, you could’ve ended up like Petra. Or worse.” Levi hissed at the last part and when Eren smiled at him, the king only frowned.

“What the fuck is so funny, brat?”

“Well, it’s amusing seeing a stoic king so worried over a ‘brat’ he just met.” Eren snorted and Levi growled.

“Well sorry for being concerned. I’ll make sure to leave you for the monsters next time you’re being chased by one.” Levi huffed but when Eren kept smiling at him, the king couldn’t find it in him to stay mad.

“Cocky brat...” Levi muttered as Eren only laughed in response and the two sat there in peaceful silence.

It was only a few moments later when there was a knock on the door. Levi grumbled something under his breath as he reluctantly got up and started heading to the door.

As he went to open it, the king heard Christa start to stir behind him and Eren started to coax her to go back to sleep.

Levi opened up the door and there Hanji stood, looking tired and worn out but smiling softly.

“She made it. She’s going to be just fine now.”

***

Reiner looked around Rose as Annie and Bertholdt followed close behind him. 

The kingdom seemed to be in chaos right now as some people on the streets weeped while others were consoling. Soldiers and guards were also watching the gates leading into the kingdom like hawks, it had taken Reiner quite a while to persuade them that he and his friends weren’t a threat.

“I wonder what happened...” Bertholdt whispered softly as Reiner grunted in response.

“It’s none of our concern.” Annie said. “We just need to see if Eren’s been here.”

“She’s right.” Reiner agreed, although it was against his morals. He always made it a point to try and help those in need and while it was painful for him not to ask someone about what happened, he realized that Eren took priority above anything else.

“Let’s ask a shop owner if Eren’s been to one of the shops.” Bertholdt offered as the trio agreed, deciding to start with a small clothes shop located in the middle of town.

They entered the small building and were shocked to see two very beautiful women making out with each other.

The sight made Bertholdt blush as he quickly ran out of the store, yelling a quick sorry over his shoulder before exiting.

Annie only sighed as she turned around the follow Beetholdt, leaving Reiner alone as the two women laughed.

“Sorry about that, hun!” She said in a non-convincing tone.

“Yeah! We didn’t think anyone would come in so suddenly~” The other woman said as she skipped over to Reiner and leaned up against him, hands toying with his collar.

Reiner blushed as he tried to avoid looking at the pretty woman. “I-I was wondering if you happened to see a guy about the same height as you... Brown, shaggy hair that’s kinda in a disarray... He’s toned and has really hot abs...” Reiner accidentally let the last part slip out.

“Oh! Is the guy you’re looking for carry around a really pretty sword with an emerald on it?” The woman asked and Reiner nodded furiously.

“Yes! Exactly!” He said excitedly and the woman nodded.

“Yeah, he was here earlier today to buy new clothes. We talked to him for a bit and he said he was going on an expedition to help clear the woods of monsters...” Suddenly the woman’s face started to go grim. “T-they came back about an hour ago...”

Reiner felt his heart start to drop. “What happened? Do you know if he’s okay?”

The woman, surprised by Reiner’s sudden outburst flinched in shock and Reiner willed himself to calm down as he quickly apologized to the woman.

“I don’t know... All I heard was that three of the six people got injured. Two of them are okay but I hear a woman was badly injured and in critical condition.”

Reiner sighed in relief. “Okay, do you know where they are now?”

“I’m pretty sure the expedition team is in the castle right now...” The woman offered and Reiner smiled at the woman.

“Thank you.” He said softly as he pulled away and started to walk out.

“Ooo! Once you find him you should come back over with him and have a foursome with us!” The woman called and Reiner laughed.

“Thanks but I’m afraid I’m going to have to decline. I want him all to myself.” Was all Reiner said as he left the store and ran up to meet with Annie and Bertholdt.

He told the two what the woman said and the trio wasted no time running towards the castle.

Reiner felt his heart start to pound loudly against his chest as he got closer and closer towards his destination. 

He would finally get to see Eren again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> o3o Fish... sorry for making things sad o3o
> 
> Thanks for reading! Please leave comments to let me know you enjoyed it tell me how I can better my writing! Thank you!


	5. Chapter 5

Eren laid on the bed with Christa curled up against his side. The prince smiled softly at the small girl as he pulled the blanket up over her and gently pet her head.

After hearing that Petra was going to be fine, Eren had felt the day’s activities wash over him and fatigue enter his mind. Levi had only rolled his eyes at Eren and told the brat to get some sleep before taking his leave with Hanji, letting Christa stay with Eren.

Despite how tired he was, the brunette couldn’t seem to fall asleep as he looked out of the window at the sky. The sun was just setting as orange and pink was scattered all throughout the air. Eren recalled watching the sunset with Reiner on multiple occasions, he had to admit, he kinda missed it.

But being this free was so worth it that Eren couldn’t feel guilty.

Christa stirred once more, continuously coming in and out of sleep. That may have been why Eren couldn’t catch a few z’s himself. 

“Nightmare?” Eren asked softly as he gently rubbed Christa’s back.

“Nmm...” Christa groaned as she looked up at Eren with those beautiful blue eyes of hers. “I keep thinking about mom... I know she’s okay but I’m still...” Christa hesitated.

“Worried?” Eren asked and Christa nodded. “It’s okay, Hanji said she was completely fine now and Hanji doesn’t seem like the type to lie, right? No matter how insane she might be.”

Christa giggled at that and hugged onto Eren, this made the prince laugh. “Man, your mom might get mad at me. I mean, her daughter is cuddling and hugging a random stranger she doesn’t even know.”

Christa let out a laugh at that, looking up at Eren. “Maybe, but I don’t think she will. I mean, you’re a good person, Eren!” The girl smiled her dazzling smile and Eren had to look away before his heart melted. 

“T-thanks...” Eren muttered and went back to petting Christa’s hair. The two sat quietly before Christa perked her head up again.

“Hey, Eren?” She asked softly.

“Hmm?” Eren hummed as he looked down at her.

“Where did you come from?” This made Eren hesitate as his hand stopped moving and Christa cocked her head to the side in confusion.

“...I never planned on telling anyone, y’know. So you better keep everything I tell you a secret. Or else, I’ll have to leave Rose.”

This seemed to make Christa take it very seriously as she nodded her head furiously. “I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”

Eren smiled. “Good. Now, I’ll answer your questions as best as I can but I still can’t tell you everything. But, I came from Maria.”

Christa’s eyes widened. “Really? Wow... So, what was your status there?”

“Hmm... that’s something I can’t really tell you but I was a high status, like a nobleman if you will.”

“Did you have a girlfriend or boyfriend?” Christa asked, suddenly super excited.

Eren blushed and shook his head furiously. “O-of course not! If I did... I wouldn’t be here.” He said softly and Christa frowned.

“Lame.” She said and Eren snorted in amusement. “Well, did anyone confess to you?”

“Yeah... It was a guy named Reiner. He and I have known each other since we were kids and I’ve sailed with him all over the world.” Eren said fondly and Christa giggled.

“If that’s the case, why didn’t you accept his confession?” Eren frowned and looked at the small girl.

“How the heck do you have so much intellect for like, a seven year old?”

“I’m actually nine. I’m just really small.” Christa stuck her tongue out at Eren to which he only sighed at.

“Well, to answer your question, I turned him down because... If I married him... I would have to stay with him my entire life.” Eren sighed. “I wouldn’t be able to be free and travel by myself, flirt with other people. I-I don’t want to settle down. I want to continue to see the world and I don’t want anything holding me back.”

“But... Don’t your family and friends get worried about you?” Christa asked softly.

“...Yeah. All the time but... I’m really selfish, Christa. No matter what my friends and family say I can’t seem to stay in one place for long. I dream of adventure and facing the unknown.” Eren laughed softly.

“Hmm... Well, if you leave me, then... I’ll beat you up!” Christa yelled as she suddenly got up to jump on top of Eren. “I won’t forgive you if you suddenly just leave!” 

Eren laughed as he looked up at Christa. “I can’t say that I won’t leave someday... But I can say that I’ll come to visit you, alright?” Eren smiled wider when Christa nodded her head, deciding that was acceptable.

The two were so caught up their conversation they didn’t see the door to the room close softly.

Levi stood outside as he processed what he had just heard, surprised with what he had learned about the boy.

Levi smirked slightly as he looked at the closed door. Eren was getting more interesting the more Levi got to know him.

Deciding to not bother the two, Levi went to the dining room where Hanji was eating at the long table.

“Where’s Christa and Eren? I thought you went to get them?” Hanji said through a mouthful of food and Levi shivered in disgust.

“Close your damn mouth, shitty glasses.” Levi hissed. “Also they were sleeping and I couldn’t be bothered to wake them up. Just bring them extra breakfast tomorrow or put some snacks out if they come down later.” Levi lied and said the last part absently.

Hanji snorted and Levi sent the woman a sharp glare. “What?”

“Nothing it’s just, you kinda turned into a family man, well you at least sound like it. I mean, snacks? It’s like, Eren is your wife, Christa is your kid and you’re the daddy.”

Levi shivered at what Hanji called him. “You fucking dare call me ‘daddy’ one more time and I’ll skin you alive.” The king had to admit though, Hanji wasn’t wrong.

In just under twenty four hours, Levi felt as though he had went from being a single man to a married man with a kid.

The fact that Levi wanted to push Eren down whenever he saw the boy didn’t help either.

Not bothering to answer Hanji, the king finally sat down in a chair and was about to take a sip of his Earl Grey tea when there was a shout from the castle entrance. A guard entered the dining hall only a few moments later.

“Your highness! There are two strange men and a woman asking for someone who goes by the name of ‘Eren’. They seem very insistent, what should I tell them, Sire?” The guard said as Levi sighed and ran a hand through his hair before getting up.

Tea would have to wait. 

“Bring me to them.” Levi commanded and the guard saluted as Levi followed him out.

They walked down the hallway to the front entrance of the castle where a big, blond man stood. Beside him was a tall, lanky brunette who had a petite, blonde woman beside him.

The trio looked quite odd if Levi had to be honest. The king wouldn’t have been so wary of them if they hadn’t asked for Eren.

“I’m King Levi of Kingdom Rose.” Levi introduced himself and was shocked when the trio didn’t bow to him. He tried to glare them all down but only the tall brunette flinched. Even still, he did not do as Levi wished.

Realizing none of them were going to speak anytime soon, Levi sighed and raised an eyebrow. “Why did you come here, brats? I’m a busy man and don’t have time to deal with scum like you.”

His words elicited a response from the big blonde man as he scowled and Levi couldn’t help but smirk.

“We’re just here to find a friend. He goes by the name of Eren. Have you seen him at all?” The girl spoke up before the big blonde man could.

“Hmm, maybe. Why should I give away a person’s location to three unruly kids who won’t even provide their own names though?” Levi questioned as he decided to start staring down the tall one, hoping he would crack first.

The blonde man stole Levi’s attention however when he spoke up. 

“My name is Reiner.” He said. “The tall one is Bertholdt and the girl is Annie. Now that you know our names would you kindly give Eren to us? We know he’s here so just hand him over.”

Reiner... That was the person Eren had told Christa about. The king didn’t jump to conclusions, however. He wouldn’t give these people anything unless he heard from Eren himself.

“Bring them in and get them something to eat. Don’t let them wander around though.” Was all Levi said as he went to the room Eren was staying in.

The king didn’t bother knocking as he just barged in. Eren yelped in surprise and his beautiful, wide eyes looked up at Levi in shock.

Levi, now was not the time to fall under the spell of Eren’s gorgeous eyes. 

“Want to tell me why there’s three people at my door asking for you?” Levi asked as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

Eren frowned for a second and then his eyes widened once more. “...Did they happen to tell you their names?”

“Reiner, Bertholdt and Annie. Ring any bells, brat?” Levi watched Eren’s expression turn to one of fear. Levi didn’t like the look the brat wore, if it hadn’t been himself who instilled that fear in Eren then he didn’t want to see the expression on his face.

“If you don’t want them to know you’re here tell me to turn them away.” Levi said quickly as Eren looked up at him in shock. “You’d do that?” Eren’s eyes immediately lightened up and the king knew anything would be worth doing if it meant Eren would look at him with such pretty eyes all the time. 

“Just tell me. And I’ll do it.” Levi promised.

“Then... Please.” Eren begged. “Make them leave.”

Levi’s breath hitched in his throat as he swallowed thickly and nodded. “As you wish.” 

With that, Levi took his leave and went back down to the dining hall.

When he returned, however, he only saw two of three people sitting at the table.

“Where’s Reiner?!” Levi yelled at a guard and ignored how they visibly shook.

“H-he said he needed to ‘take a piss’ so we had another guard escort him to the—“

Before they could finish, Levi ran out of the dining room and ran towards the nearest washroom.

When he entered, he wasn’t surprised to see a passed out guard lying on the floor. The king cursed as he sprinted towards Eren’s room and he heard Christa scream.

If that man did anything to the little girl Levi swore he was going to kill him. 

“Let go of me!” The king heard Eren yell and he ran even faster. He approached the room where the door was already open and ran inside to find Christa shaking on the bed while the Reiner was at the window which was opened.

The blond seemed to be struggling with something and Levi’s eyes widened when he saw he was holding Eren by the ankle as the rest of the prince hung outside.

“You have five seconds to pull him back in before I kill you.” Levi said softly, not even needing to yell to indicate how pissed off he was.

The blond flinched as he quickly dragged Eren in and dumped the boy on the ground.

Levi started to approach the blonde with a murderous look in his eyes when Christa spoke up.

“Levi, he didn’t push Eren out... Eren jumped by himself and the big guy saved him.” The blonde girl said softly.

Levi turned his gaze to Eren who didn’t move from his spot on the floor, avoiding the raven’s gaze and the king sighed. “Shitty brat.”

Reiner glared up at Levi upon hearing those words. “Don’t you dare call him that.”

Levi growled as he turned his focus back on Reiner. “You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do. In fact, you had no right to walk into my kingdom, to intrude into my castle and then assault one of my guards. You have five seconds to tell me why I shouldn’t toss your ass in a cell.”

Reiner went pale and Levi would’ve smirked at the blonde’s reaction had he not been so furious.

“No, please, Levi.” Eren looked up at the king, still on the floor. “He’s here for me and... I kinda ran away without saying anything so it’s my fault.” Eren said softly as he moved his attention to Reiner, staring up at him with apologetic eyes.

This just made Levi click his tongue in jealousy. The brat should be looking at him with apologetic eyes, not at a damn bulkhead who just made a mess of his castle. “So you’re saying you’ll take his punishment?” 

The way Eren whipped his head to look up at the king with fear filled eyes... It made Levi lick his lips. His reactions were too delicious.

“W-what?” Eren stuttered as he looked up at Levi with wide, scared eyes. “I never... I didn’t think you were serious—“

“I’m very serious, brat. How am I suppose to be a ruler without enforcing any rules? If I let one person’s crimes slide then that means I’ll have to do it for everyone.” Levi stared deep into those eyes and he felt himself shiver at how bright they were. However... he also felt something else when seeing the fear in Eren’s eyes. Guilt?

Eren bit his lips softly before tearing his gaze away from the king before him and he looked at the ground with clenched fists. “...What is the punishment?”

“Eren! No!” Reiner yelled as he got to his knees beside Eren. He gripped the brunette’s shoulders as he forced Eren to look at him.

Again, a feeling that could only be described as jealousy coursed through Levi. He didn’t want this blonde buffoon touching Eren.

“It’s my fault you’re even here in the first place so just let me take responsibility for the repercussions. And don’t you dare fight with me about this. My words are a demand right now.” Eren removed himself from Reiner’s grip.

The blonde man just clenched his teeth and bowed his head. “Yes... Whatever you say...” Reiner bit his lip slightly. Levi wondered exactly what status did Eren have before coming here? Because it was obvious he wasn’t just a noble as he claimed to Christa. He had way too much authority in his tone.

Eren sighed before getting up and looking at Levi. “So? What’s the punishment?”

The room was tense as Levi thought of all the things he could do to the kid. He could lock him up in a tower where only Levi could visit him, tie him up to a post outside and humiliate the brat... Or, he could make Eren spill his guts and tell the king just who exactly he is.

“Your punishment is to tell me all about yourself.” Levi spoke and when those words came out, he instantly regretted them. He didn’t form that sentence very... menacing.

Eren blinked at the king before he started trying to hold back laughter. “Pffftt...” 

Levi felt heat rise to his face and he scowled. “What the fuck is so funny?”

Eren put a hand over his mouth as he tried to keep back his giggles but he failed miserably. “N-nothing! It’s just that, hah, you made it sound like it was going to be harsh or painful... Haha... But it’s neither of those!”

Levi sighed as he managed to get control over his face, although his heart was thundering loudly in his chest as he looked at Eren. The boy was kinda... cute? At least when he laughed.

“Whatever, brat. Do you accept your punishment?”

“Sure, I accept the ‘punishment’.” Eren mocked before looking down at Reiner who was sitting on the ground in shock. “Get up.” Eren ordered and Reiner immediately stood.

“Thank you for coming for me but... Please, go back.” Eren asked softly.

Reiner got a pained look on his face. “I’ll send Annie and Bert back but let me stay with you. I can stay by your side and we can go on adventures like we always planned—“

“I’m sorry, Reiner. But I think our plans have to change.” Eren smiled softly as he cupped the blonde’s cheek.

Levi couldn’t help but watch, for the first time since he’d met the buffoon he started to feel sorry for him. He was getting rejected by the prettiest man alive after all.

“Reiner, I love you so much and it makes me happy to know you’ll always be there for me but, you know how I feel. You know my priorities and my dreams... You know who I am and being that way with you... I can’t, I’m sorry.”

Reiner could only stare at the floor as the man felt his heart rip to pieces. “...I know.” Reiner nodded. “Yeah, I really know. Why’d I have to fall for such a complicated guy?” Reiner let out a huff and he looked up into Eren’s shocked eyes. “I’ll always be there for you, Eren. You’re the only one I serve so when you get tired of exploring... Call me back to your side.” Reiner pleaded as he wrapped an arm around Eren’s waist and pulled the boy close to him as he quickly pressed his lips to the prince’s. 

Eren’s eyes widened in shock and Levi was about to break them up when Reiner pulled away and released Eren. “That... Was a good bye of sorts.” Reiner mumbled. “Until you come back to Maria.”

Eren stood there in shock for a few moments before smiling softly. “It may be a while from now.”

“You know I’ll wait for you, my strength is patience thanks to you.” Reiner smiled and shook his head softly. “Anyway, I’ll take Annie and Bert with me back to Maria. I’ll cover for you for now and tell your parents I didn’t find you.”

Eren smiled. “Thank you. But before you leave... Can I see Annie and Bertholdt?” The prince was giddy and Levi couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

Kids were so immature. Levi mused to himself that he wasn’t very different from them however, as he was only twenty four and had just felt five year old jealousy when seeing the guy he liked in another man’s arms.

Levi froze.

Wait, what?

...He liked the brat?

Levi looked back at Eren’s face and watched his emotions carefully. The way his bright, teal eyes sparkled, giving away any emotion he felt, how his body was so tanned and ripe, how he had the cutest reactions whenever Levi teased him.

Levi felt his heart thunder in his chest once more when Eren turned to meet his gaze.

Teal fell on grey as Eren smiled that damn gorgeous smile of his and cocked his head at Levi. 

“Can I go see them?” The brat asked and Levi felt himself melting under the prince’s beautiful gaze.

“...Make it quick.” Levi finally said. “I’d like your punishment to start right after they leave.”

“‘Kay!” Eren said as he let Reiner lead him out of the room.

As Eren passed Levi the older man got a whiff of the brat’s scent. He smelled liked woodlands and the ocean.

Levi sighed as he fell to his knees and ran a hand through his hair once they left. “That damn brat... Is going to be the end of me.”

“Oh?” A mischievous, squeaky voice spoke up and Levi wanted to punch himself.

Christa came into view as she knelt down in front of Levi and gave him a smile. “You like Eren? Oh King Levi... You’re going to have to get in line unless you make Eren like you.”

The king had completely forgotten the girl had been present in the room for all of the ordeal and Levi wanted to punch something. How could he let a brat like her see him in such a vulnerable and undignified state?

“You tell anyone and I’ll lock you up in a tower.” Levi threatened, although it wasn’t very convincing as Christa just laughed. 

“You want to do that to Eren too.” Christa sang and Levi growled as he he picked the girl up and put her under his arm. He stood up and started to exit the room all the while Christa was giggling from within his hold.

He had quite enough of cute brats for today.

***

When Eren entered the room he had instantly been jumped on by Annie who gave him a very tight hug and looked him over. When she found Eren’s shoulder wound, she had hit him on the head.

“Ow!” Eren exclaimed just as Levi entered the room with Christa still under his arm. “That’s for making us all worry about your stupid ass.” Annie explained as she unbuttoned Eren’s shirt to look at his wounded shoulder. “You’re an idiot as always...” She mumbled.

Levi couldn’t help but greedily look over the boy’s exposed chest and collar bones. Woah, calm down Levi. Don’t even think about biting those tanned collar bones no matter how delicious they look!

“How’d you get it?” Annie questioned and Eren sighed. “From a really scary monster... It looked like a human but it was ten metres tall... and it had sharp claws easily a metre long. It also had sharp teeth and..” Eren shivered. “Don’t want to fight that again any time soon.”

“Idiot.” Annie sighed but hugged Eren again. “As long as your fine though...” 

Eren laughed as he hugged the blonde girl back. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

Bertholdt blushed as he looked at Eren and Annie. He didn’t want to intrude on the two but he really wanted to hug Eren...

The prince looked up at the tall man and he laughed. “Come here, Bert. You don’t have to always over think things.” Eren giggled as Bert blushed even more and went up to Annie and his prince to hug them.

“...It’s kinda sickly sweet.” Christa commented as Levi nodded his head.

“Tragically sweet.” Levi looked down at Christa and the two shared an amused look.

With that the trio said their goodbyes to Eren after swearing to keep his location a secret from others. They left after giving Eren stern words and hugs, Reiner opting to not hug Eren and instead give his hair a ruffle.

“Stay out of trouble and send me a letter if you ever want to see me.” Was all Reiner said as he walked with Annie and Bert to their horses.

They mounted their horses and Eren couldn’t help but laugh at Reiner’s face when he got on his steed and started to ride away.

Eren smiled fondly as he watched the trio leave. The prince couldn’t help but think that this was a real stepping stone in his life, leaving the people he trusted most to explore new things with people he barely knew.

It sent chills throughout his body as he smiled. He felt fear, anxiety and was scared but... It made him feel so free that those feelings of doubt couldn’t hold him back.

Suddenly a hand fell on the prince’s shoulder and he looked around to see Levi.

“Now that they’re gone, you’re coming with me, brat.” Levi smirked at Eren’s confused face. “Just get dressed in the clothes I laid out for you and meet me at the castle entrance in an hour.”

***

“You seriously asked him out on a date as a punishment?!” Hanji giggled like a maniac as she let her head fall back while she let her laughter escape. “You’re such a trashy romantic! O-oh my gosh!” 

Levi made a mistake by telling Hanji why he was dressed in a crisp white button up shirt with black dress pants and a black shawl draped over his shoulders. He had went to get dressed and while he was preparing for Eren’s punishment, Hanji had found him and had asked what he was doing. And now, the poor man was in this situation.

“Shut up.” Levi growled. “I don’t even know the brat, how the fuck do I even like him?” Levi was asking himself more than Hanji.

“Ever heard of love at first sight? It’s total bullshit and totally not true but maybe it could happen once in a while. And I think that happened to you, my hopeless friend.” Hanji giggled and ignored the death glare Levi sent her way. “But really though, have fun. You haven’t shown an interest in anyone before, well, unless it’s just sleeping with someone but other than that I don’t think you’ve actually gone out of your way to set up a date.” Hanji commented as she eyed the picnic basket and blanket Levi had in his arms.

“...When I look at him, I feel like I want to bully him.” Levi sighed. “I want to instill fear in him and make him cry but at the same time, I want to keep seeing those damn eyes of his sparkling brightly with determination. So... I want to be gentle, I guess. Just so he doesn’t witness the sadistic side of me.” Levi shook his head as Hanji just laughed again.

He needed better friends. 

***

Eren made his way down the hallway, dressed in a green shirt with puffed sleeves that tucked under his black leggings, to top it all off Eren wore black hiking boots that reached up to his knees. Now, the prince was aware he had a nice body, plenty of people had told him but this outfit... felt a little embarrassing to wear.

*******************************

(A/N: Okay imagine it’s like Howl’s white shirt from Howl’s Moving Castle, I mean, he’s so hawt in that shirt)

*******************************

The boy couldn’t help but feel nervous as he quickly tied his blindfold around his eyes as he approached Levi.

The king looked dashing, Eren had to admit. He was dressed in a plain white button up with tight black pants and a black cape hung off his shoulders, Levi was good looking and Eren wasn’t ashamed to admit it.

“About time brat.” Levi said as he scowled but when his eyes landed on Eren, the king’s breath hitched in his throat.

The boy looked amazing in leggings, his thighs and calves defined perfectly underneath the thin material and that shirt that showed off just the right amount of collarbone was making Levi’s mouth water.

The only thing Levi didn’t like about the kid was that he was still wearing the damn blindfold despite Levi already seeing his eyes before.

“Sorry...” Eren blushed as he came to a stop in front of Levi and clasped his hands together in front of him. “S-so... where are we going?” Eren asked softly, all too aware of Levi eyes raking over his body.

“Just follow me.” Levi eventually said as he tore his eyes away from Eren and lead him outside.

It was a cool night with a small breeze but it wasn’t so cold that it was unbearable, much to the two’s luck. Levi walked with Eren trailing behind him up to the kingdom gates where the guards let him through with no question.

The path that they walked on had been cleared of monsters a year earlier and it was now a beautiful spot for people to enjoy travelling on. It was perfect to have a picnic here.

But Levi, despite holding a picnic basket, took Eren’s hand and started leading the young prince into the dense forests.

“Um, where are we going?” The prince cocked his head to the side and Levi smirked, although this smirk was softer than his usual one as it held no teasing tone or malice. It was like he was excited.

Eren blushed and looked away from the king’s face. He was kind of cute... And the way he held Eren’s hand made the boy’s heart skip a beat.

He never felt like this when he held hands with Mikasa or Armin... So why did his heart flutter with Levi? It didn’t make sense to the confused teen.

“We’re almost there.” Levi said as he gripped Eren’s hand tighter and helped him through a thorn bush.

Eren made a face when the thorns tugged at his unruly hair but it was worth the pain to see what was on the other side.

It was just a small clearing where fireflies flew around in unorganized patterns and the moon shown through the patches in the leaves overhanging. It was like a scene out of a book and Eren’s eyes widened at the sight. It was beautiful.

Levi looked at the teen and frowned. Eren took notice of this and tilted his head in confusion. “What?”

“Take off your damn blindfold, kid.” Levi growled. “I want to see your reactions.”

This made Eren blush and he quickly looked away. “I’d like to leave it on, if that’s possible.” Eren mumbled. He really didn’t want Levi to see him in such an embarrassing state.

The king didn’t accept this however as he released Eren’s hand and reached for the boy’s face. He put his hand on the brat’s cheek, making Eren flinch.

“Let me take it off for you then.” Levi’s lips twitched up when Eren didn’t nod or shake his head so the king took it as confirmation before gently tugging off the blindfold.

Underneath the cloth lay those beautiful teal orbs that Levi couldn’t get enough of. They were sparkling in the moonlight and the beautiful fire Levi saw in them sent chills throughout his body.

“Gorgeous...” Levi breathed out unintentionally.

“What?” Eren looked at Levi with wide eyes. “Stop joking around...” The kid sighed and Levi couldn’t find the words to tell the brat that he wasn’t joking.

Instead, the king opted to lay down the blanket he had brought and spread it out across the grass. In all honesty, they could’ve just laid on the grass as it was soft and comforting but to get dirt on himself, Levi wouldn’t allow it.

Eren sat himself down once the blanket was spread out and Levi followed, setting the picnic basket down.

“I hope you like random snacks, brat, cause that’s all I brought with me.” Eren snorted at Levi’s words and rolled his eyes. 

“You make me sound like a kid when you include ‘brat’ and ‘snacks’ in the same sentence.” Eren raised an eyebrow at Levi and the king couldn’t help but stare at Eren’s eyes as they gleamed with a mischievous glint.

Damn this kid and his entrancing eyes.

“You still are a kid.” Levi made himself look away and opened the basket, then he started to spread out different assortments of food. From baked goods to containers of fresh fruit, basically any type of sweet Eren would want to munch on.

The prince blushed as he eyed the chocolate covered strawberries, trying to remember the last time he had had one when Levi sighed and opened the container. “I guess we’re starting on these.”

Eren smiled sheepishly and took one out and started eating, swooning at the taste. Regardless of how screwed up his taste buds got when he went travelling, he always had a spot for chocolate.

“So, I guess we should start.” Levi said as Eren continued to eat. “Now, I have no idea who the fuck you are and what you do. I don’t know if you’re an enemy or an ally, what you plan to do in the future so your punishment is to tell me and provide me the answers to any of my questions about you.”

Eren made a face and before Levi could question it, Eren said what was on his mind. “...Can we make some exceptions? I’ll try to be as honest as I can, really I will but... There are some things I absolutely need to keep secret or else... I’ll have to go back home.”

Levi definitely did not want that.

“Fine, since there’d be no point questioning you if you had to go back anyways.” Levi pretended to be annoyed but he really couldn’t. He was finally going to get to know the brat. “So, is Eren your real name?”

“No... Well sort of? It’s my middle name but I actually prefer being called Eren than my real name.” The prince explained as he looked up at the sky.

“What is your real name then?” Levi asked and he watched Eren think about that for a moment.

“I can’t tell you that...” Eren furrowed his eyebrows, still avoiding eye contact.

“Hmm... Fine.” The king sighed. “I already know you came from Maria and had a pretty high status, tell me why you left.”

“Because my parents were going to force me to marry.” Eren clenched his fists. “All my life they had given me so much freedom... I adventured all over the world and only returned home four times a year if that. So, when I heard them threatening to take away my freedom, I freaked out and ran.”

Levi made a face, that must’ve been harsh for a kid. Being forced to marry was kinda a dick move by the parents. “Fair enough. So, have you actually even felt romantically about someone? Cause that blonde guy you kept rejecting seemed to really care about and respect you. The only reason I can see why you’d reject him is because you’re interested in someone else.

Eren blushed. “It’s... Complicated? I don’t feel romantically about anyone and instead I’ve been focused on my freedom and seeing the world. I guess it’s like, I thought I didn’t have enough time to get so invested in someone when travelling since I left each town within days of going there. I never felt a strong connection to anyone either...”

“What about me?” Levi asked suddenly and Eren blushed, turning his head away so Levi was left looking at the back of his head. 

“I-I don’t know... I don’t even really know you just like you don’t know me... I don’t think it’s really possible to have a strong connection with you? Well, at least not yet...” Eren mumbled.

Levi thought about this as he shrugged. “You can ask stuff about me too to then.”

Eren whipped his head around. “Really?!” He asked, more enthusiastic and excited than he had been before.

“Mhm. Just make them good questions.” Was all Levi said.

“Okay... Well, is it true that you gave people from the underground a choice to follow you? And you lead those who joined you above the surface to create Rose?” Eren asked with a glimmer in his eyes.

Levi nodded slightly. “Yep. I got tired of that filthy underground city and a lot of other people were fed up with it too. We were treated like trash and just... got so sick of it. I thought creating a kingdom wouldn’t be so hard so I did it. And now here I am.” 

“That’s amazing.” Eren gasped. “You created all this... and you’re like, twenty?”

“Twenty two.” Levi smirked then realization dawned on him. He didn’t know how old Eren was. “Wait, how old are you? I swear if you’re fifteen—“

“No!” Eren laughed. “Just turned eighteen a few months back.

Levi thanked the Eternal Goddess silently and sighed in relief.

The two continued to tell each other random things about themselves, eventually leading to a bunch of teasing and flirting. It was all so surreal, Eren had to think. He started off thinking this man before him was an asshole only to find out he was an incredible person who was freaking hot as well. It made Eren think that he had never felt a connection like this with any other person. I mean, he could admit that Reiner was handsome and stuff but he never found him so good looking that he was interested in dating him.

But here was the king before him, clad in smouldering good looks that Eren felt like he’d go insane over.

“Your face is red.” Levi commented as he put a few blueberries into his mouth.

“Shut up.” Eren blushed deeper and looked away. He always did this whenever he was embarrassed and Levi wanted to do nothing more than get a proper view of the kid’s face.

“Lift your head.” Levi demanded. “I want to see your face.”

This made Eren shiver. Levi had never sent a command so forceful at him. It made the brat want to disobey. 

Smirking, Eren kept his eyes on the ground and shrugged. “Don’t want to.”

Levi growled. “I don’t like ordering twice, brat.” Levi warned.

Eren still refused to look up, opting to play with one of his puffed sleeves. “I don’t have to obey you.” The prince said with a cocky smirk, the look on the kid going straight to Levi’s groin.

No way was a damn bratty kid making Levi react like a damn school girl with a crush. “You have five seconds.” Was all Levi said as he silently counted down and Eren made a confused face but still refused to look up.

That’s when Levi struck, launching at Eren to grab his wrists and push him down on the blanket.

The prince was in such shock he didn’t know how to react for a few moments until it finally clicked into his brain what was happening. Immediately he started to struggle, eyes wide and blush dusting his cheeks and the tips of his ears.

“L-Levi! Let go!” Eren tried to buck Levi off of him but the man just sat on Eren’s hips to keep him down.

A wicked smirk played on his lips as he looked down at the boy below him. It was quite the scene, to see prideful Eren who couldn’t like or lust after any woman or guy being pinned down before Levi. The blush that covered his face started to reach his neck and Levi licked his lips. Eren’s unmarked, beautifully tanned neck.

“Levi, you bastard...” Eren’s struggles were useless and the boy knew it. “Let go of me.”

Levi leaned down until his face was merely inches from the brat’s. “This wouldn’t have happened if you just looked at me.” He whispered before gently pecking Eren’s lips in the heat of the moment.

Levi pulled back as quickly as he had connected and Eren gave him a stunned look. 

“Y-you really...” Eren tried to get out a sentence but he was failing miserably. “You just... kissed me?” It had felt so much different than when Reiner had kissed him. Even though it was less than a second, Eren had felt his heart start to thunder against his chest and his mind reeling with thoughts about nothing but the man before him.

Levi smirked. “That was revenge for hiding your face.” Levi let the boy go and was only straddling his hips now. Before Levi could get off of the boy, however, Eren quickly got up and kissed Levi.

The brat was inexperienced and he sucked at kissing but Levi tried to guide him as his arms draped over Eren’s shoulders and the prince’s arms wrapped around Levi’s waist.

The two only stopped their sweet assault on each other when Eren became breathless, to which Levi laughed at softly.

“You’re gorgeous...” The king mumbled softly to which Eren blushed at.

Carefully getting off the brat below him, Levi sat down beside him, their shoulders touching. When the king looked up at Eren he was greeted with the sight of him panting heavily with blush covering his face and lips wet and slightly parted.

He looked cute. Very cute.

“Hey brat.” The king finally spoke.

“Huh?” Eren asked absently.

“Wanna give the whole dating thing a shot? With me that is?”

Eren thought for moment before nodding. “Yeah... Maybe... It’s not as bad as I thought?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was kind of a lame chapter... sorry guys ;-; I tried my best but despite that I couldn’t seem to get the chapter just gown I wanted it... I had no inspiration to write it ;-; hopefully the next one will be more brilliant! Thank you for reading and I hoped you enjoyed! Make sure to leave a comment to tell me if you’re enjoying so far or if you have helpful critical for how I can write better!


	6. Chapter 6

“Eren! It’s your turn!” 

“Huh? O-oh, sorry, Christa.” Eren snapped out from his thoughts as he moved his checker piece across the board without thinking. By the way the blond girl smiled triumphantly once he placed his piece down, the prince could only assume he made the wrong move. 

How could Eren possibly focus on checkers though? It had only been about three days since Levi and him started to “officially” date but so far, Eren didn’t feel like anything was different. He still talked to Levi normally which mostly consisted of playful banter, he was still able to go help clear the forest of monsters and he didn’t even sleep next to Levi. Heck, the two didn’t even share a room.

The prince had imagined that as soon as he was in a relationship he would have to do all these things that would put restraints on his freedom. He thought that he would no longer be allowed to go clear the forests, needing to report where he was going before leaving and having to always be no more than a metre apart from his lover at all times... but the prince didn’t experience any of this. In fact, it felt as though Levi was even more distant since they started going out. The prince wasn’t unhappy though, in fact, he was quite the opposite. He enjoyed that he got so much freedom and could seek Levi out whenever he wanted the attention. 

“Eren... You’re spacing out again.” Christa sighed as she started to pack up the checker board, giving up on the game. The blond had noticed Eren had been captured in a dreamlike state for at least an hour and she had a pretty good idea why. After all, it didn’t take a genius to see what was happening between Levi and Eren.

“Sorry Christa.” The prince sighed as he flopped against his chair which he was seated in. The prince was just super confused, he really had no idea how relationships worked.

“Is this about Levi?” The blond girl asked although she already knew the answer and the prince snorted in response. 

“Yeah... It’s just... Wait, no, I’m not going to talk about relationship stuff with a ten year old.” Eren made a face and this made Christa pout.

“I wanna know juicy gossip! Usually my mom is in charge of that but she’s still in the infirmary! So it’s up to me to keep her updated on all the scandal!” Christa smirked and Eren rolled his eyes but allowed an amused smile to tug on his lips.

“Okay, whatever. You win. You probably won’t know anything more than I do but like... Levi and I are dating now I guess...”

“What do you mean you guess?” Christa cocked her head to the side in confusion and Eren could only blush in embarrassment.

“Like... he asked me to date him when he took me out for a picnic but ever since then I don’t feel anything significant has happened or changed. We still act the same around each other, I still do my usual activities... I thought dating someone meant losing parts of your freedom but... I haven’t?” Eren asked more to himself than Christa.

The girl only laughed at Eren’s confusion as she finally started to connect the pieces together as to why Levi was giving his new lover so much space. “He doesn’t want to freak you out.” Christa concluded and upon Eren’s confused look, she elaborated. “I mean, you’ve said how much you didn’t want to lose your freedom and stuff. Levi isn’t stupid either, he would respect that you need a lot of space and wouldn’t try to force you into anything so you’ll have to be the one to initiate a lot in your relationship.”

“...Again, how the heck are you only ten?” Christa shrugged at the question and gave a cheeky smile.

“I get it from my mom and dad.”

***

“Yep, sounds like my kid.” Petra nodded, the infirmary pillows behind her that kept her propped up tousled her strawberry hair with the movements. She looked a lot better than she had three days ago, for that Eren was grateful as he eyed the small lacerations covering her body that were now beginning to scar.

“I mean, I get that she’s your child and all and you can be pretty sassy but there must be a limit.” Eren exasperated, having told Petra of what he and her child had discussed earlier. And Christa was wrong, even though Petra was bedridden she still managed to get her gossip one way or another, most of it coming from Eren considering he had taken quite a liking to the lady. He had made it his duty to visit the strawberry blond at least twice a day to keep her informed of what was happening in the kingdom and Eren’s status with Levi.

“Hah, nope. Christa got my fifty percent of sas and her father’s fifty percent as well. She’s one hundred percent pure sas.” Petra concluded almost too proudly and Eren raised an eyebrow.

“I haven’t even met her dad and I’m already scared.” He sighed and Petra giggled.

“Anyway, jokes aside. As much as I love our gossip time, I have a favour to ask you.” Petra continued when Eren didn’t object. “My husband will be coming home soon and usually during those times Levi, myself and a few others all meet with him to discuss whatever he discovered on his travels. That basically mean that no one will be around to watch Christa so can you—“

“Babysit?” Eren cut the woman off and she laughed sheepishly before nodding. “Yeah, that’s fine. I basically watch her every day anyways.” Eren smiled and gently played with the end of his blindfold. He knew he didn’t really need to wear it anymore but it still brought him comfort and he was glad that Petra didn’t question it. In fact, Eren was glad he got to meet Petra in general.

The prince had come to love her daughter and love the woman as if they were apart of his own family. They were both so supportive of him even though he had only known them for less than a week, the prince already felt hesitant to leave this kingdom if it meant leaving them behind. He knew this was dangerous, making connections to people he could possibly have to leave someday. He knew better than to do this, after all he spent his life travelling and left places as quickly as he had arrived but in Rose... He couldn’t help but fall in love.

Even loved the scenery, the buildings, the people and their king. As long as no one recognized him... He could stay.

Right?

“Eren.” Petra called his name and the addressed man looked up to see the most genuine and beautiful smile he had ever seen on a woman. “Thank you!”

Yeah, he could stay for a while.

***

“You... haven’t found him then...” Grisha said slowly as Reiner nodded, the blond unwilling to meet his king’s heartbroken eyes.

Grisha’s initial rage when Eren had left slowly morphed into one of great sorrow over the course of a few days as the king started realizing that his son may never come back if they didn’t find him. At this rate Grisha just wanted to see Eren one last time to say that he was proud of him and loved him but the king feared that he would never get that chance. His son knew so much about the world, how to survive and hide from enemies, it would be nearly impossible to find him now especially when not even Reiner could track him down.

The king had fully expected to see the blond swordsman and his other partners come back within two days with a glum looking Eren in tow but instead they arrived five days later than he had initially estimated, empty handed. The way Reiner wouldn’t meet his king’s eyes made Grisha understand how bad the situation really was. His wife, on the other hand, had been worried about this since day one and Grisha had not taken her seriously until now.

“I told you!” Carla screamed as tears freely flowed down her face as she collapsed in a heap just in front of her throne. All Grisha could do was lean down to try and help his dismayed wife up but she slapped his hands away. “Don’t touch me right now...” Carla sobbed softly, placing her hands over her face.

Reiner watched his queen break apart while his king looked lost and all the soldier could think was that he really screwed up. He should’ve forced Eren to come back with him because as much as his prince hated being restrained, he hated his family being hurt even more. And right now, the Yeager’s were at their breaking points. So lost in the scene before him, Reiner didn’t realize that Mikasa had been glaring at him from the side of a nearby quartz pillar until Annie jabbed him in the back to alert him.

When the swordsman’s gaze landed on his princess’s, a shiver ran down his spine. He didn’t even need to ask what she was thinking, her eyes told him everything he could’ve ever needed to know.

Princess Mikasa was not just glaring at him but downright accusing him of knowing more than he was letting on with her deadly stare, silently threatening him with her eyes. 

Reiner had to look away, any longer and he was afraid he’d turn to stone under the watch of his princess. 

“Reiner, you and your friends had a long ride back... Please, freshen up and take a long rest, you deserve it.” Grisha swallowed a lump in his throat and the soldiers bowed before their king and started to leave.

Before Reiner could reach the exit, however, a strong grip landed on his left shoulder that dragged him towards the hallway leading to the private chambers of the prince. The swordsman couldn’t disobey as Mikasa dragged him up the flights of stairs that led to Eren’s abandoned room where she threw him in effortlessly and locked the door behind her. 

Taking a breath before turning back around the face the man before her, the princess spoke. “You’re a liar. You know where he is.” Damn... that wasn’t a question.

Reiner didn’t even bother holding up a charade, he knew Mikasa would only hurt him if he tried. “...I do.” He barely whispered but by the look on the princess’s face Reiner knew she had heard him.

“Where is he?” She tried to keep her voice level but it started to shake half way through, if it was out of relief or anger, Reiner could only guess.

“I promised him I wouldn’t tell.” He said, remaining loyal to Eren just as he had promised. No matter how much he feared Mikasa, nothing she could do to him would ever make the soldier betray his prince.

“I am his sister! I am the princess! You will obey me, Reiner.” Mikasa demanded but her facade had begun to slip and Reiner could hear the desperation in her voice breaking through. She was almost pleading with him.

The man sighed as he looked up at his princess, a woman who he had once thought could house no emotions, now start to break. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.”

That was all that was needed to make Mikasa crack as she felt tears start to slip down her cheeks only for her scarf to soak them up. 

“Why?!” She screamed, not bothering to hide her dismay anymore as she ran to Reiner and gripped the front his shirt tightly in her hands, balling up the fabric until it couldn’t stretch out anymore. “I need to know where my brother is!”

Reiner felt like he was kicking a puppy as he could only offer a sympathetic look. “I’m sorry.” He breathed out and suddenly Mikasa was shoving him back from her, his shirt far too wrinkled and stretched to be repaired.

“I’m going to make it so you never have any contact with Eren again once he comes back.” Mikasa threatened before turning her back on Reiner and leaving the room, being sure to slam the door loudly behind her.

The princess took a shuddering breath before composing herself and heading back down the stairs. She couldn’t allow herself to be seen by her adopted parents in an emotional state, they were already so worried and someone in the family needed to stay calm so Mikasa would gladly take that role upon herself. On top of being the emotional support of the family she had also made it her duty to take on Eren’s paperwork and responsibilities while he was away. The princess had barely gotten any sleep since the prince left but she felt it was worth it if it made Eren’s life easier. 

Mikasa walked confidently back into the throne room where Grisha remained sat at his throne while guards surrounded him waiting for orders. Carla was no where to be seen. As the princess moved her head towards the room’s main entrance, the doors opened up and in walked Armin, his blond hair bobbing behind him.

“Mikasa.” He sighed in relief was he quickly rushed up to her. The princess took his hand as he led her out of the room and started walking down the long hallways towards the soldier’s quarters. 

Mikasa’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Where are we going?”

“Annie said she’d tell us some things. I’m assuming you didn’t get much from Reiner so I managed to convince Annie to at least tell us a little more.” Armin hurriedly explained as he suddenly turned and guided the princess towards the more secluded rooms and ushered her inside one before locking the door behind them.

Inside the dark room sat Annie at an old, worn wooden table set against the right wall where she was casually sipping tea. The princess felt her heart thump at the sight of blond she had a soft spot for but quickly pushed down her feelings. Right now she had to focus on Eren.

Walking up to the table and taking a seat across from the petite woman, Mikasa began to speak. “So, what can you tell us?”

Annie looked bored as she shrugged and let herself get comfortable before answering. “He’s fine, for one. The only injury he had was on his shoulder but it wasn’t serious.”

Mikasa sighed in relief, silently thanking the Eternal Goddess for protecting her brother. “Thank you... So, what else can you tell me? Did he say anything about us or send a message along?”

Annie suddenly looked at Mikasa with rare, sympathetic eyes and shook her head slowly. “He only said that he loved you and Armin and that he probably wouldn’t come home for a very long time.”

Tears welled up in Mikasa’s eyes but the princess couldn’t help it. How could her brother, the one who said he would protect her and be with her no matter what just leave her like this?! He was already away from her most of the time but at least she knew when he would come back... Now she didn’t know if he’d be back at all.

The princess was so absorbed in her own thoughts that she didn’t even remember Armin was in the room until she heard him start to cry softly.

“Armin... Don’t cry.” Mikasa pleaded as she got up to go hug her childhood friend, wrapping her arms around his neck as his wrapped around her waist. Gently pulling his head down to rest on her shoulder by the back of his head, Mikasa shushed him softly as he hiccuped and cried. 

How had these two become so reliant on a man that was barely there, the thought made angry tears fall from Mikasa’s eyes as she let out a huff. 

“Only Eren could manage to make us like this.” The princess answered herself and closed her eyes. One way or another, she was going to get Eren back.

***

“Levi!” Eren called as he ran up to his supposed lover in the hallway of the castle. The prince had just been about to get Christa to watch her while everyone else was in the meeting when he managed to see Levi walking around and without thinking, he had called for him.

The king turned on his heel and looked slightly surprised to see Eren but recovered quickly as he raised an eyebrow in question and folded his arms across his chest. “What is it brat? Erwin is coming back at any moment and I need to prepare shit still.” Petra’s husband must really be something to get Levi this worked up over his return.

Suddenly feeling slightly bad for being a bother when Levi was so busy, Eren hesitated as he made his way towards the raven. The king must have picked up on it though because he only sighed as he dropped his arms and looked at Eren tiredly. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap. I just hate meetings.”

This brought a smile to Eren’s face as he finally closed the gap between him and Levi and stood right in front of the older man. The way Levi’s eyes softened as he watched Eren’s expressions, even despite his blindfold made heat rise to the prince’s cheeks and set his heart thumping at a dangerous pace.

“I-I just wanted to say thanks for being patient with me... I guess. You’re giving me space to adjust to... us, right?” Eren asked nervously as he watched Levi give one of his rare smirks. “Well, yeah. I just wanted to say thank you I guess! Bye!” Eren tried to escape before he died of embarrassment but before he could Levi grabbed his hand and brought it to his lips to kiss the back of it.

Eren bit his bottom lip softly as Levi looked up at him through his dark lashes and finally pulled away. “So you’re not as dense as I thought you were.” It took a moment for Eren to realize he was just insulted and his eyebrows furrowed in anger.

“What did you just say—“ The Prince cut himself off as he suddenly felt his blindfold being yanked down from his face and Levi’s eyes were soon inches away from his own.

The two stood there like that for what felt like hours, time slipping past them as they both stared into each other’s eyes. Finally, Levi nodded in approval as he gently brought his hand up to flick Eren’s cheek, to which the prince hissed at the stinging pain.

“Seeing that fire in your eyes makes me want to always bully you just so I can see it.” Levi said softly, sighing before stepping away from Eren and running a hand through his hair. “I’m trying to be gentle but it’s pretty hard. I’m used to one night stands and I’m not used to being romantic or trying to keep my partner comfortable... So tell me if I hurt you in anyway.” Levi sounded so insecure and concerned as he said this that it made Eren’s heart skip a beat for reasons the confused prince couldn’t comprehend.

Smiling, Eren reached out to take Levi’s hand and press his lips against it just as the king had done to his. Levi stood there in shock for a few moments but quickly recovered as Eren dropped his hand and smiled brightly up at the king, his teal orbs shining brightly.

Gosh, the brat was more gorgeous than the rising sun.

***

“The sky is so clear and pretty!” Christa stretched her arms above her head as Eren walked by her side along the gravelled path that was just outside the kingdom. The trail was about two hours long as the couple embarked on their hike, Eren carrying his sword by his side incase any stray monsters came wandering about.

The blond girl was excited to be walking outside the walls for once, usually only being allowed to if her father took her out with at least five other highly trained soldiers with her. She was thankful that for once there was just Eren accompanying her as she kicked at stray pebbles she came along, Eren doing the same occasionally. 

To the young girl, he had become something of a big brother to her in the few days she had known him and she could trust her life with him. Plus her mom seemed to completely trust Christa in Eren’s care too so the young girl believed she must be safe if her mother, the biggest worry wart in the world, let her go out with Eren.

The prince hummed softly as he got Christa to take his hand and they continued their way along the scenic path, just enjoying the day breeze and the sound of birds entertaining their ears.

“Thanks for taking me out, Eren! It would’ve been boring sitting in the castle by myself when all the adults were in a meeting.” Christa’s grin was spread across her face, ear to ear. 

“It’s not like I had anything else to do anyways.” Eren shrugged as Christa started to skip from beside him, swinging their linked arms back and forth with her movements. It was so peaceful and beautiful outside, the prince didn’t think it could’ve been a nicer day.

The duo walked for about another half hour before deciding to take a little snack break at one of the benches that had been positioned just to the side of the gravelled walkway. Christa took out a granola bar the head chef had prepared for her that morning and took a big bite as she kicked her feet back and forth from her spot on the bench. Eren couldn’t help but smile at the small child before him. Even though she usually acted so mature, she really was only a ten year old.

The two stayed in content silence for a few moments but suddenly Eren started to get a weird feeling deep down in his stomach. It had gone eerily quiet, there were no longer birds singing or the beat of insect wings buzzing. Just complete silence. Christa seemed to pick up on this too because she scooted closer to Eren who, in turn, wrapped a protective arm around the girl while his other arm went to his sword. 

The prince’s eyes darted from every direction, trying to catch anything that seemed even remotely suspicious but there was nothing. 

“E-Eren..?” Christa’s voice shook and Eren grunted before reluctantly releasing his sword.

“It’s... nothing.” Eren said, although not really believing his own words.

After that the two tried to eat normally but the silence around them was deafening, the prince couldn’t handle it and neither could Christa. The duo both silently stood without a word and were about to start leaving when suddenly a small clicking noise made Eren peer into the dense woods just behind him. He recognized that sound, the familiar noise that he had heard with Hanji only a few days prior to now.

Cursing, Eren grabbed Christa and threw himself and the girl at ground just as a spray of tranquilizers flew by their heads and embedded into the trees they had been previously standing in front of. Christa screamed in terror and Eren’s mind scrambled to find a way out of this as the prince saw bandits, Titans, come out from the woods.

There was no time to develop a stable plan as Eren rushed to his feet and picked up Christa, holding her to his chest tightly all the while another spray of tranquilizers came hurtling at them. The prince hissed in pain as several embedded in his back and injected him with their contents but they did little to affect him as adrenaline took over his body. He had to get Christa out of here.

He began sprinting, it was the only thing Eren could do as he ignored the hot blood running down his back and the crying girl against his chest who Eren made sure to shield her with his own body. The prince all too quickly realized his legs were becoming hard to move as whatever was injected in him started to overrun his systems. He wouldn’t last long at this rate but he could distract the Titans long enough for Christa to make a dash back to the castle.

“Christa!” Eren yelled to get the girl’s attention as he stumbled into the woods that was heading back towards the kingdom. “I don’t know how much longer I can go so I need you to run back to the castle in just a few moments!” The prince gasped.

The girl’s eyes widened as she shook her head frantically. “No! I won’t leave you!” She screamed and hugged Eren tighter. “I can fight for you! D-don’t leave...” She gasped as tears flowed from her eyes. “You promised you wouldn’t leave just yet...”

Shit. Eren stole a glance behind him and winced at how fast the Titan bandits were coming up to him. The prince’s legs were about to give out at any moment as well... 

“I still promise I won’t leave!” He was lying, Eren had no other choice if he wanted to get the girl to safety. He knew there was a slim chance he would make it out of this situation alive but it would be better for one of them to live instead of none of them. “I need you to get back to the castle and get Levi! That’s how we both survive!” That’s how she’ll survive, Eren silently apologized to Christa for lying.

“...Ok. Tell me when to run.” Christa accepted, deciding to trust Eren, and looked up at the prince with determined eyes.

Eren smiled softly as he made sure to take a long look at her eyes. He wanted this sight to be his last memory. “Good. On the count of three.” Eren hurriedly said as his legs started to buckle up beneath him.

“One.”

“T-two.”

“Three!” Eren yelled as he tossed Christa as far as he could just as his legs tensed and he fell to the ground in a limp heap.

The prince managed to look up in time to see Christa land the jump and her golden hair flew in the wind as she ran as fast as she could towards the castle, not daring to look backwards.

Eren smiled softly as he closed his eyes. He soon felt rough hands grabbing him and hauling him up, people savagely plucking the tranquilizers from his back and taking flesh up with them. Despite all the pain, the prince kept his eyes shut and decided to think of Christa in the last few moments he had seen her.

At least she could escape, Eren thought as he started to slip out of consciousness. He had a million thoughts cross his mind in that moment but they soon settled on the image of a raven haired man and Eren felt stinging tears in begin developing in his eyes. 

He really wanted to see Levi one last time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it’s been a while ~ I started to get really busy so sorry, I won’t update as much anymore but I managed to get this done! Again, sorry, I didn’t really do any major editing to it because I just wanted to get it out but I plan to edit a lot of chapters so be sure to reread once I finish it :D Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Also leave a comment telling me how I can improve or what you think of the story so far! Orrrrr tell me how you’re liking the new season of Boku no Hero Academia ;))


	7. Chapter 7

“The prince from Maria has apparently run away.” When Erwin first brought up the subject Levi’s initial thoughts were to believe that the kid was just like any of those other spoiled princes. It wasn’t an uncommon occurrence after all, to hear of a prince running away to avoid responsibilities or arranged marriages.

“And I care about this why?” Levi questioned from his seat, crossing his arms. He didn’t like having his time wasted on frivolous information.

“Because, with the sudden rise in Titan activity we need to consider allies and Maria should be the first kingdom we align ourselves with. They have a strong army and a good king and queen. Not to mention all the citizens love their prince even after he disappeared.” When Levi shrugged indifferently Erwin only sighed and tried once more to persuade the stubborn raven that this was an issue they could benefit from. “It’s very rare to have a royal family this popular with the public and are actually decent people. Levi, I know how you feel about royalty and how most of them can’t be trusted but I believe the Yeager’s are genuine. If we help them they will be sure to repay us.”

“I understand.” Levi snapped, the conversation making him angrier once Erwin pointed out his secret hate for royals. The king didn’t care if Maria’s king and queen were good people or not because ultimately, he knew that they would easily choose their lives over the lives of hundreds of citizens. That’s just how people with power were. Greedy.

“If you understand then at least think about it. If we manage to find the boy then we can bring him back to them. Instead of a reward we can ask only for their trust and knowledge that we can rely on them in the future. We can also discuss the threat of the Titans with Maria and possibly be able to bring part of their army back with us to help with our own defence.”

Levi hated how Erwin, the handsome blond man sitting before him with terrifying, blue calculating eyes, could manage to persuade him in only a matter of seconds. The king was a rational thinker, although it could take him some time to come to a conclusion if he felt strongly against the situation, otherwise he was usually able to come to swift conclusions. Erwin had Levi beat at this though because no matter what the scenario was, the blond seemed to always have the answer. 

“Yeah, I get it. We’ll start searching for the brat too.” As Levi drowned out Erwin’s voice of reports about useless things the king thought that the story of a kid running away sounded pretty familiar. Again, it wasn’t like the situation was uncommon but he had just heard that story. He had heard it from Eren. 

Frowning to himself Levi tried to think more about it when suddenly a screaming voice called for his name and snapped the king out of his thoughts. There was a loud commotion outside the meeting room door and Levi heard the sound of his guards grunting something, probably telling the intruder to leave. 

“Let them in!” Levi called out, feeling dread fill up in his stomach when he saw a sweating Christa run in and fall to her knees, gasping for air.

She had dirt covering her face while her clothes stuck to her back slick with sweat. The girl then tried to speak through laboured gasps but no sound came out.

Immediately Erwin rushed to his daughters side and gently rubbed her back and ordered for a water bottle and a cool cloth be brought to her. Levi got up from his chair and started to make his way towards the girl when he realized Eren wasn’t following behind her. Where was he?!

As if on queue, Christa looked up with tears in her eyes as she finally managed to spit out what she had been holding in. “The Titans took Eren!”

Levi wasted no time after that, ordering a large team of the best trackers and swordsmen Rose had to go out and find Eren. Thanks to Christa’s directions, Levi hopped on his horse and threw on his belt which had his sword attached to his hip and started to ride off, not bothering to wait for the other soldiers who also got on their steeds and started to ride after him.

The king only saw red as he snapped the reins, spooking his horse to make her run faster. Levi had to get to Eren as fast as he could, he had to find him and just protect him... The thought of the brat getting even a scratch made Levi seethe with rage so if those damned Titans dared to do anything else to his partner the king knew no one would want to get in his way once he got his hands on those cowardly bandits.

***

Eren let out a wheezy cough as he began to stir, unable to see anything as he slowly opened his eyes. The prince figured he must’ve been blindfolded and when he tried to reach up to remove the blindfold, his arms only got caught behind his back and the sound of metal clanging resonated throughout whatever room he was in. Great, he was chained up too.

Grunting, Eren got himself into a sitting position and felt a wall behind his back, to which he leant backwards to rest against but immediately shot back up when pain coursed through him. He hissed as his back suddenly felt as though it were on fire and he remembered he had been shot multiple times there. 

“Fuck...” Eren groaned as he held back tears.

“Sorry for the rough treatment, Prince Valor.” The young man froze when he heard the deep voice apologize to him using his real name. The voice continued only to laugh as Eren froze. “Oh my, scared? I had heard all these wonderful things of how strong Prince Valor was but maybe they were exaggerated?” The voice continued to taunt Eren as the prince heard footsteps coming towards him and the voice get louder.

“I’m plenty strong. Maybe if you untied me you could actually see what I’m capable of.” Eren hissed as he struggled against his bonds. The voice only chuckled as the owner to the sickly noise bent down in front of Eren and gripped the prince’s chin in his hand, admiring how he even looked pretty in a state like this.

From the corner of the room, a girl with long black hair watched the scene and she gulped. The man with the weird voice seemed to have heard because he soon addressed her. “My queen? Are you satisfied?”

Eren’s ears perked up as he heard a small, delicate voice speak out, but he noticed how it shook. “Y-yes. This is the man I’ve wanted.” The prince couldn’t help but believe he had heard this voice somewhere before but couldn’t quite remember who it belonged to.

“Perfect. Shall we be on our way then?” The scraggly voice asked and before his “queen” could answer, Eren spoke up.

“Look, I don’t know who the hell you two are but you should know I don’t plan on being kidnaped.” Eren huffed and before he could say anything else, the prince felt a foot connect with his stomach which created an impact that made the prince spit out blood. 

As Eren groaned in pain the woman in the corner gasped and had to look away. She didn’t think her soldiers would have been so... violent towards a man she fancied.

“Nile, p-please don’t harm him any more...” The woman begged softly and the man known as Nile clicked his tongue in disappointment before walking away from a collapsed Eren.

“Apologies, my queen.” Suddenly a beeping noise sounded and Eren heard Nile grunt before hurriedly running away. “You’re highness, we need to leave. Rose soldiers have been spotted in the area.”

Eren’s heart skipped a beat when he heard that there were Rose soldiers nearby. Was he not going to die after all? Would he actually get to see Levi again? The prince felt relief rush through him until her heard the supposed queen speak up again.

“W-what about Valor?” She asked desperately and Eren felt like his whole world was going to crash again but got hopeful once more when he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching him but getting farther away.

“We don’t have time to take him with us, your highness! He’ll only slow us down and make too much noise. We’ll get him again at a later date but for now we need to get you to safety.” Nile said hurriedly as Eren heard the screech of a rusty door opening and closing. The prince was surrounded by nothing but darkness and silence.

***

“There!” A soldier called out as he saw two people on a single horse running away from a steel shed and heading into the dense forest.

“Get them, now!” Levi yelled as he sent five soldiers after them while he opted to investigate the shed after he realized none of the people looked like Eren. 

The king practically jumped off his horse to kick in the door of the shed. Inside it was completely black and it took Levi’s eyes a moment to adjust to the sudden darkness when his gaze landed on Eren who was curled up on the ground, blood in small puddles all around his body.

Levi didn’t even remember moving but before he knew it he was at Eren’s side and gently sitting the boy up. The king’s eyes quickly scanned over Eren’s body to see where his wounds were and he noted all the blood seemed to be coming from the boy’s back, the only exception was the small dribble of red escaping from his lips. Levi wanted to punch someone when he heard Eren whimper slightly in pain when being sat upright. 

“Shit, I’m sorry brat.” Levi said softly as he gently removed the blindfold and watched Eren’s eyes blink up at him. Those beautiful, teal eyes shone so brightly, even in the darkness.

“Levi.” Eren’s voice shook, understandable considering how he must’ve been quite shaken up, but Levi couldn’t bear to hear it, what had those people done to his brat to make his usual confident voice quiver? 

With clenched teeth, Levi gently pulled Eren’s head onto his shoulder and started to gently rub his thumb in circles over the nape of the boy’s neck. “Shit... I’m sorry brat. I wish I got here sooner.”

Eren was slightly shocked by Levi’s reactions, knowing the king would be worried about him but not to this extent. It was so surreal all Eren could do was just rest his chin on Levi’s shoulder and bury his face in the crook of the man’s neck, feeling exhaustion come over him. The two stayed like that for a few moments when Levi began to shuffle and start taking the chains off of Eren’s wrists. 

Once the boy was freed, the king draped his black cloak around Eren, hoping it would help bandage his back enough until they got back to the castle. 

“How the fuck am I supposed to carry you out of this shit hole?” Levi grumbled and before Eren could protest, Levi turned his back to Eren and awkwardly pushed the boy onto him before ungracefully standing up in an awkward piggyback.

“Levi, oh my gosh...” Eren’s face was beet red as he quickly wrapped his arms around the king to keep from falling off his back, mortified at the embarrassing position.

“Shut up and just let me do this.” Levi sighed, although his own face was getting a little heated. The king quickly made his way out of the shed and helped Eren onto his horse, proceeding the get on behind the boy. Ignoring how close he was to Eren, Levi told his troops to return back to Rose after the other soldiers came back informing Levi they had lost the suspects.

It was no matter, however. Levi would be sure to capture them later.

***

“Ahhh... That feels good.” Eren sighed as he got into the bathtub that could be counted as a small pool, feeling the grime that had previously covered his body wash away. His back was coated in medicines that were protected by a special gauze, on top of the bandage lay plastic which kept the water from ruining Hanji’s handiwork .

Levi stood at the edge of the bath, making sure Eren didn’t suddenly slip or drown and once the king was sure the brat wouldn’t do anything stupid, he relaxed. It had been a freaking intense day: Eren being kidnaped, coming back to absolute chaos of crying people, Hanji trying to describe to him the kind of tranquilizer running through Eren’s system and now he had to babysit the brat until the shitty four eyes figured out if Eren was in any more danger from what was injected into him. Today was just a freaking mess and the king was feeling the exhaustion of it all quickly coming over him. All he wanted to do now was take a bath and go to bed but again, he had to watch Eren. Not that Levi really minded as he eyed the boy’s chest and abs.

“Want to join me?” Eren’s voice snapped Levi from his shameless ogling of the boy and the king’s grey eyes met teal. Damn those bright, beautiful eyes.

“I couldn’t.” Levi said almost regretfully as he quickly tore his eyes away from the other’s and started walking towards the bathroom exit despite Hanji’s orders of having him be beside Eren at all times. If the kid hadn’t drowned when getting in Levi was sure he’d be fine for the rest of his wash.

“Wait!” Eren said hurriedly and Levi hesitated at the door, his hand inches from the handle. The king didn’t look back but Eren decided to continue anyways. “Please stay? I want... to talk.” The boy said softly and Levi didn’t miss the way his voice shook. Sighing in defeat, Levi abandoned his escape attempt and went back over to Eren. The king hesitated before pulling his shirt over his head and carefully folded it before placing it on a bath stool.

Eren waited patiently as he watched Levi undo his trousers and proceed with pulling them off, also folding them neatly to accompany his shirt. The prince quickly looked away when Levi reached his for his undergarment, deciding he’d give the king some privacy in his own bath.

The sound of someone dropping into the water with a soft splash made Eren look back beside him and he was greeted with the sight of Levi sitting beside him in the warm water, chest and abs fully exposed. Eren couldn’t help but take in the man before him, biting his lip gently as he allowed his eyes to roam over every nook and curve of his body. The prince’s eyes landed on the king’s lips and when those beautifully, thin lips curled upwards, Eren met Levi’s eyes which were looking at him mischievously.

“Like what you see, brat?” Eren’s face turned red at the comment and he huffed before turning away in shame. Levi shrugged, a small smirk still playing on his lips. “Anyway, what did you want to talk about?”

Eren, happy for the sudden change in subject, responded. “Well, it doesn’t really have to be talking. I just wanted to say thanks for... Y’know, saving me from being kidnaped.” Eren shrugged, still avoiding eye contact, instead opting to play with a random strand of his hair. He really needed to get it cut.

“It wasn’t a big deal.” Levi said finally, although that was a lie. “Can’t have my ‘lover’ being taken away, what kind of king would I be if I allowed that to happen?” 

Eren wasn’t really satisfied with that answer and frowned, looking up from the strand of hair to look at Levi with furrowed brows. “You say we’re ‘lovers’ and whatever but it doesn’t really feel like it”. Ah, yeah, Levi remembered Eren saying something like that when they were in the hallway. Was the boy not satisfied with the distance? Did he want Levi to do something with him?

The king sighed and turned his body slightly to look at Eren fully. He had to admit, the boy was gorgeous. From his entrancing eyes to his toned body and accompanied with that beautiful personality and fiery determination, how could anyone not fancy a man such as the one before him? The king would also bet a pretty penny that many would offer up their own lives to get this boy in bed with them for just one night and honestly, was Levi any different? He knew he wanted to take Eren as soon as he realized his feelings towards the young man but the king also knew that the adventurer needed space. After hearing of how he loved exploring and ran away from his life as a noble because his freedom was being threatened, Levi thought that the best thing he could give his new partner was as much space as possible until he adjusted and told Levi exactly what he wanted.

That’s when it clicked in the king’s brain that there was no way that was going to work. Eren didn’t know anything about romantic relationships except from what he’d seen and heard and Levi would think that travelling the world to different places would bring up some... interesting questions about romance.

Levi sighed before shaking his head and making full eye contact with Eren. “Yeah, our relationship doesn’t really feel real... Does it?” The question was rhetorical but Eren nodded his head in confirmation anyways, making Levi huff slightly and give up his acting. 

Communication was key and the king felt it was a good time as ever to say what was on his mind. “I get why you may be confused. I mean, I’m the one that asked you to date me first but you’re right. We haven’t done anything that would be considered something normal for couples. I’ve taken you on like, one date and even then I said it was a punishment.” Levi laughed humourlessly at his own stupid antics. “I guess I was just worried of freaking you out, since you love your freedom and I didn’t want to restrain you due to my... possessiveness. I also didn’t know how far I should take it with you so I opted to just let you make the first move but that was also another mistake on my part because you don’t know anything about dating.” The king ran a tired hand over his face and his lips curled up just slightly to reveal an apologetic smile. “Sorry kid, I guess we both ran into this blindly.”

Eren blushed and offered his own small smile, a gesture of reassurance. “Thanks... for telling me what you were thinking.” The prince swallowed nervously as he brushed stray locks behind his ear and looked away quickly. “You’re right, I don’t know anything about couples and stuff but... I wouldn’t mind learning from you.”

This made the king snap as he instinctively reached out his hand to cup Eren’s cheek and slid closer to the boy who made his heart beat tirelessly in his chest. How could he get so riled up over one stupid brat?

“Eren, say ‘freedom’ if you want me to stop at any time. I don’t want to force you to do anything you’re not comfortable with but I’m going to have to lead us in this relationship it seems.” Levi said slowly and clearly so that Eren would understand and when the prince slowly nodded, Levi gently stroked the tanned cheek with his thumb in small circles.

The king watched in fascination as the skin soon turned a faint pink and Eren took his bottom lip between his teeth and bit it softly, not meeting Levi’s gaze. However, he didn’t say anything so the king took that as a small indication to continue. Carefully placing his other hand on the back of Eren’s neck just above his bandages, Levi pulled the boy closer and leaned their faces close together. When Eren didn’t stop him, Levi pressed his lips against the prince’s and kissed him softly, letting him get used to the feeling before deepening it. The way Eren’s lips felt against his made the king groan in pleasure, finally feeling as though he had officially claimed Eren as his. The intoxicating man in Levi’s arms let out a small moan, only encouraging the king to slide his tongue into the younger’s mouth. Eren flinched at the sudden foreign intrusion but relaxed when he felt Levi’s fingers circle over the nape of his neck. After a few moments of the king’s tongue exploring the inside of Eren’s mouth, the younger man started to become breathless without even realizing it but Levi heard his laboured breathing and pulled away, although hesitantly.

The way Eren was gasping for breath with swollen, red lips and hooded eyes filled with desire made Levi’s heart skip a beat. If the brat wasn’t careful the king wouldn’t be able to hold back very long at this rate. Levi dropped his arms to his sides and looked away to make sure he didn’t proceed any further.

“Levi...” Eren whined softly at the loss of contact and quickly wrapped his arms around Levi’s shoulders, keeping the king from escaping. “It felt really... good.” Eren mumbled as he leaned his forehead against the king’s chest, Levi sighing in response before resting his chin on the brown mop of hair.

“I’m glad.” The king said almost in relief, wrapping an arm around the other man’s waist and pulling their bodies flush against each other.

They stayed like that for a few comfortable moments, relishing in each other’s company when suddenly there was loud, obnoxious banging on the bathroom door that made both Eren and Levi flinch.

“Levi! Stop fucking in the bath and get Eren in a half decent looking state! We still need to interrogate him!” Hanji yelled from outside the door.

Eren’s head snapped up to look at Levi with a mortified face covered in dark red blush, Levi groaning in response to the shitty four eyes. Oh, how the king would love to murder her in her sleep. 

“You heard her, brat. Time to get out.” 

***

“Okay, so there was a princess or queen and a guy named Nile?” Hanji had turned very serious when questioning Eren, showing her professional side the prince had only seen once before when Petra had been injured.

“Yeah...” Eren responded softly, not daring to meet eyes with neither Hanji or Levi. He didn’t know how he expected the two to react, he’d never been in a situation like this before. Sure, he was kidnaped by pirates and stuff before and usually Reiner would hit him on the back for being careless once he was saved and Annie would scold him for five minutes but... That was about it. Then again, whenever he was kidnaped in the past he never thought his life was in that much danger, he knew pirates wouldn’t kill him, they were relatively peaceful beings unless it came to gold. But the Titans, they were a whole other story.

“What else did they say? Did they say anything about why they kidnaped you?” Hanji pressed, scooting forward in her seat as she tried to will Eren to look at her.

“I-I don’t know.” Eren shrugged and sighed. “The Nile guy just kept blabbering, asking his queen if she was satisfied that they caught me. When they were fleeing the girl sounded worried about me and Nile said that they’d come back for me again.” Eren groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “I guess they plan on trying something like that again...” Eren clenched his teeth as he left out the part that they knew his real name. “Shit... I might have to leave Rose...” The prince didn’t realize he said this aloud but when Levi suddenly grabbed Eren by his wrist, the young man knew he slipped up. Looking up at the king’s eyes, Eren felt guilt take over him as he watched Levi’s brows furrow in concern and his mouth turn into a bigger frown than he usually wore. 

“I won’t let them touch you again.” The king promised as he looked at Eren, almost pleading him to stay with his eyes. “I won’t allow anyone to take you away like that again so stay. I’ll get this sorted out.” The way Levi said this was so convincing and it made Eren’s heart skip a beat. The younger man looked away before nodding. 

“Yeah... I’ll stay then.”

***

Their conversation lasted about half an hour more with Eren providing as much information as he could until Hanji had to take her leave to tend to the medical bay, leaving Eren and Levi behind late in the evening. The young prince was currently sitting on Levi’s bed, eyes slowly drifting shut as he started to doze off but the king woke him up with a flick to his forehead.

“Oi, brat. Go back to your room and get some sleep.” Levi said although he didn’t really mean it, of course he wanted Eren in his bed but the king didn’t know if that would be overstepping the unspoken boundaries of their relationship.

“Nmm...” Eren groaned as he let himself fall backwards onto Levi’s bed. “Tired. Let me sleep her for tonight?” Ah, That hopeful voice made Levi crumble.

“...Whatever.” The king sighed as he went to his closet to hide the blush creeping up on his face. Levi pulled off his day trousers and replaced them with shorts, next tossing his cape and ruffled shirt off to only put on a simple white button up.

When the king looked back around he couldn’t help but lock eyes with Eren’s as they both stared at each other. The prince had a smile playing on his lips and Levi took that time to notice how seductive the man before him was. Eren may not have been (or maybe still isn’t?) into sex but he had a massive sex appeal, and more frustratingly: the people around the boy picked up on this. Levi recalled the moment a few days after Eren had settled in Rose where the two annoying girls from the popular clothing shop had managed to approach the young man when he was about to head out to clear forests with Levi. The king had pretended to be busy with his horse and saddling her up but really he was eavesdropping on the trio’s conversation and what he had heard... made the king realize that he wasn’t the only one who appreciated Eren’s good looks. 

“...How long will you wait?” Eren suddenly asked, the question throwing Levi off guard and making him frown in confusion.

“Wait for what?” Levi started walking back to Eren and sat on the edge of the bed while waiting for a response.

“How long are you willing to wait before you do me?” Of all the questions the boy could’ve had, he asked the one question Levi truly did not know.

Getting over his initial shock, Levi closed his eyes and sighed, thinking through his options carefully. Does he tell Eren the truth like a good partner would? Does he lie as to not pressure Eren? Or does he just not bother answering?

“I feel like I could jump you at any time.” Ah, Levi opted for the truth. The king opened his eyes and stared at Eren’s so far unwavering face. “I just... You know I don’t want to scare you and I actually want to treasure this time so I’ll try to wait but, seeing you all spread out on my bed isn’t helping at all. But I would wait a long time for you.”

Eren snorted and let out a soft chuckle, getting up to crawl over to Levi on all fours before stopping in front of him, their faces inches away from the other.

“I know how sex works. I’ve been asked too many times to participate in intercourse with men and women alike, sometimes both at the same time and so far I’ve managed to keep my chastity. What makes you think you could take me so easily?” Levi felt chills going up his spine as excitement coursed through his veins. That’s right, Eren wasn’t one to just submit, he’d make Levi work to take him.

“You shitty brat.” Levi let out a chuckle of his own and pressed the palm of his hand against his forehead, trying to calm his raging thoughts. “Damn, this is why I really like you. I never know what to expect, you’re like a fucking drug.” Eren smiled at that.

“I’ve been told. You’re going to have to do some pretty extreme things to make me want to do more than kiss, your highness.” Eren purred and quickly pecked Levi’s lips before falling onto the bed and getting under the covers, facing away from Levi.

“I’m tired, let’s go to sleep.”

Levi, confused and excited, just blinked at Eren a few times before snorting and getting under the covers himself. The king’s hands roamed around the younger’s waist and pulled his bandaged back up to his chest so he was spooning Eren, the prince humming softly as he leaned his head back against Levi’s chin. The two stayed like that as they both slowly started to doze off, their hands intertwining in their unconscious states and their holds on each other tightening just a fraction. They held one another closely and as Levi’s brain started to shut down, he decided he’d find out more about Eren’s situation a little bit later because for now he just wanted to treasure the boy in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I updated o-o WELP. I’m also gunna try to write more descriptively for scenes because I realized that I tend to write a lot of dialogue but never really describe actions very well so please bear with me while I try this ^-^ Thank you! I hope you enjoyed and please leave a comment telling me if you’re enjoying the story or have any tips on how I can write better! <3


	8. Chapter 8

“You look like a teenaged girl who just got rejected by her weekly crush.” Hanji laughed like a maniac when Petra commented on Levi’s appearance. The king was currently sat on a chair next to Petra’s hospital bed with a cup of lukewarm tea in his right hand, bags under his eyes and brows furrowed together. Levi was obviously not happy, very confused and annoyed and one could only guess why. The man was already king, had everyone practically at his bidding and now had the most wanted man in his lap... What more could he possibly want?

“He’s been like this for days, Petra!” Hanji laughed as she hopped onto the side of the strawberry blond’s bed, being sure not to squish the petite woman as she landed.

“Yeah, but why? Isn’t he supposed to be in so-called ‘paradise’? Or at least in love?” Petra sighed when not even that could illicit a response from Levi, shaking her head in disappointment. “Look! He won’t even humour me! Something is definitely wrong with him.”

“Hmm... you’re right.” Hanji nodded thoughtfully before perking her head up and smiling wickedly. “Maybe we should get Eren to help lighten his mood—“

“You do that and I’ll skin you alive.” Levi suddenly snapped, making both women jump in surprise and jerk their heads in Levi’s direction. The king was now glaring at the two, setting down his forgotten teacup and standing up from his seat.

“Aww, c’mon, Levi!” Hanji sighed. “Just tell us what’s wrong.” The two women both crossed their arms over their chests, their eyes keeping him in his place. Levi didn’t know why he was so obedient when it came to the two, he had no reason to listen to a gossiping mom and a legally insane woman but here he was. Sighing, the man sat back down.

“...You two need to learn how to talk to your king more respectfully.” Levi huffed finally.

Petra raised an eyebrow, her face clearly indicating she was unamused. “You were our friend first, Levi. And you’ll stay a friend before a king for the rest of our lives. So just hurry up and spill out whatever stupid ideas you’ve been hiding.”

Levi held up his hands in front of him, gesturing for Petra to back off is she wanted an explanation.

“Eren won’t let me assign him a bodyguard.”

The room went quiet as Petra and Hanji both blinked at Levi and then turned to each other. The words suddenly started to sink into the two when Hanji sighed and ran a hand through her usual tangled hair.

“Yeah,I get why you’d be stressed over that.” The insane woman looked back at Levi with a sympathetic look. “But you should’ve known from the start he would’ve never agreed to anything like a body guard.”

“I did but I had to try anyways.” Levi snapped but winced, knowing that Hanji was only trying to help. “It’s just... He said he wouldn’t mind it if I were to watch over him and that it can’t be anyone else but... Tch.” Levi pressed his palm against his forehead, willing away the oncoming headache. “I wish I could go with him everywhere but I can’t. I think he knew that too when he said that. Cheeky brat.” 

Petra smiled pityingly at Levi, reaching out to touch his shoulder. “Well, you did decide on taking Eren as a partner. He kind of comes with disaster, doesn’t he? But, he also chose you.”

Levi knew Petra had a point. The younger man was good looking and popular, it’s not like he’d have a hard time choosing a lover but Eren chose Levi. And so far the brat has stayed with him so he must be doing something right. 

“Levi, honestly, just let him do what he wants for now. If another bad thing happens, let the Goddess forbid that from happening please, then you’d have a better case to ensure someone is with Eren at all times, just until the whole Titan situation is cleared up. So for now just leave him be.” Petra nodded at her own words and she didn’t look away from her king until he met her gaze and nodded too. Although, she didn’t miss the slight hesitation on Levi’s part.

“I suppose.” Was all Levi responded with but it was very clear that he wasn’t completely convinced.

***

Eren looked up at the sky, the blue atmosphere littered with white, puffy clouds in sporadic patterns.

“It must be amazing to be a bird.” Eren commented as Christa nodded in agreement from against his side. The two were currently laying in a small field just beside the bakery. “They get to fly anywhere they want, whenever they want.” Eren smiled as he thought about how unfair it was that such creatures got to be so free compared to those that didn’t have wings.

“If you were a bird though, I wouldn’t be able to have met you.” Christa mumbled from his side and Eren laughed softly. 

“Yeah, you’re right.” Ever since Eren was abducted, Christa had made it a point to plant herself at Eren’s side whenever he left the castle and while the prince didn’t mind her company, he was feeling slightly suffocated because he couldn’t go anywhere alone now. Levi had even wanted him to get a bodyguard but that was just too much for the young boy. So instead Eren said that he would only allow Levi to be his escort but they both knew he wouldn’t be able to do that, not while he was a king at least. 

“Don’t you want to spend time with your dad?” Eren suddenly questioned, making Christa sit up and look at Eren.

“Well, I guess but he’s busy with paperwork and preparing for the next expedition. Plus... I want to stay with you.” Christa mumbled the last part and Eren sighed, reaching up to cup the young girl’s cheek.

“Christa, I’ll be fine by myself. I know you’re only trying to care for me but I’ve been kidnaped before, it’s not like it was my first time so you don’t need to worry about that.” Eren tried to ease the girl’s thoughts but it was obvious by her face that it didn’t help at all.

“Well no one I’ve ever cared about has been taken away from me like that before!” Christa suddenly yelled out her frustrations and it made Eren tense in shock. “Do you have any idea how worried everyone was about you?! And by everyone I mean literally everyone! All of Rose loves you, Eren... when they heard you were taken so many people volunteered to go help find you, some people that haven’t even once travelled outside the Rose barriers but they were willing to risk their lives for you.” Christa sighed and stood up, clearly very angry. “You know, I feel bad for your family back at Maria.” This made Eren’s eyes widen.

“Why are you saying that so suddenly?” Eren frowned and was about to reach up for Christa’s hand when the girl pulled away. She looked at him with hurt eyes. 

“Because it’s just who you are! You attract so many people around you that they can’t help but fall in love with you! Your family... I bet they love you a lot and you just... You were selfish and just left them! Is that what you’ll do to Rose, Levi and me someday? Just leave us?” Small tears welled up in the corners of Christa’s eyes and clenched her fists. “If you plan on doing that then you better leave sooner rather than later, before others get even more attached to you. Although... You probably don’t even care if it means you can be free.” A single teardrop fell from the girl’s eyes and she clicked her tongue before running off towards the castle.

Eren wanted to go after her but he knew doing that would only make her angrier. For now he’d give her some space for her to think over everything. In fact, he should be thinking everything over as well because Christa was right. Eren knew he missed his family and he definitely knew they missed him but... To what extent? The Yeager’s already proved they were willing to send soldiers in every direction around their kingdom but exactly how much further were they willing to go to get their son back? Would they hire mercenaries, make unwise allies or offer money? There was so much Eren didn’t think of, he should’ve at least told Mikasa he’d contact her later. But he hadn’t, Eren had just left his family as easily as if he were leaving to go shopping. Damn, he really was selfish.

“Shit...” Eren groaned as guilt overtook him and he put his arms over his eyes as he allowed himself to fall backwards into the grass. “Is doing this really worth it?” Eren questioned himself.

“Is what worth it?” A deep, velvety voice asked and Eren didn’t even need to look up to know it was Levi. Despite that, Eren removed his arm from his eyes and looked up at his partner who was silhouetted by the sun.

“Just... Everything.” Eren sighed eventually and motioned for Levi to take a seat next time him. When the king hesitated, eyeing the grassy spot, Eren let out a chuckle. “You can sit in my lap if you’re worried about the dirt.” Not thinking he would actually take up the offer, Eren was surprised when Levi put his hand on the prince’s chest and pushed him backwards so he could sit down on Eren’s lap. The brunette smiled fondly though as his arms encircled Levi’s waist. “So, how’d you know I was here?”

Levi clicked his tongue and raised an eyebrow at Eren. “First off, I know where you like to hang out at. Secondly, a crying Christa came and ratted you out.” The king gave the boy a look that demanded Eren to tell him everything.

The prince groaned but sighed, knowing he wouldn’t win this argument even if he tried so he answered. “We somehow got into a convo about Maria... Then Christa started saying she felt bad for my family and whatever because I left and never told them... Now she think I might do that with you guys too just to be free.” Levi nodded in acknowledgement.

“She has a right to think that. Even I’ve thought you’d do that eventually.” Levi admitted as he wrapped one arm around Eren’s shoulder to keep himself balanced. The prince furrowed his brow and made a face.

“I won’t— Well... I don’t plan to any time soon, at least.” Was all Eren could offer. When Levi didn’t speak the prince continued. “Look, I know I’m selfish for leaving my family and stuff but... my priorities were different. My parents wanted me to get married and have an heir while I wanted to be free and explore the world. Those ideas clashed too much and there was so much fighting about it that I just couldn’t... I had to leave. I originally planned to leave for a few months, maybe years until my parents cooled down but now that I’m thinking about it, I don’t know whether to go back or not anymore. On one hand I want to go see them but on the other I want to keep this life I have going on right now. My life with you.” Eren mumbled the last part but Levi still heard it, evident when the king gently kissed the prince’s forehead.

“I understand.” Levi said after a few moments. “While I don’t exactly agree with what you did, I understand. You wanted to be free but your parents wanted you to keep the family running on. Honestly, from where I sit, you and your parents were in the wrong. You shouldn’t have ditched your responsibilities and your parents shouldn’t be forcing you into something you don’t want.”

Eren nodded as he took in Levi’s words, guilt overtaking him again as he thought about how he must have left his kingdom in absolute chaos. Eren’s situation was worse than what Levi could imagine.

“It’s like the prince that ran away from Maria.” Eren froze when Levi said that, the king’s tone accusing of the boy. The brunette looked up only to gaze into Levi’s glaring eyes. “The prince from Maria goes missing just as a noble brat enters my kingdom. Coincidence, Eren?”

Eren didn’t know what to say, if he told the truth would Levi make him go back? What if he tried to lie and Levi didn’t believe him? There were so many things he could do but most would end in disaster so the boy sighed and put on his most convincing face he could and tried not to lose his confidence under Levi’s scrutiny.

“...I used Prince Valor’s absence to cover my escape.” Eren started and Levi arched an eyebrow, indicating for the prince to continue. “Once I heard he had run away I knew that people would be too focused on finding him instead of looking for a nobleman. So... I took the opportunity and fled in the opposite direction as people said Prince Valor had gone.” Eren tried his best to look solemn, he tried to lie but he knew the tips of his ears must’ve been red. He just prayed that Levi didn’t know him well enough to realize that whenever he lied his ears went that shameful shade. Judging by the look on the king’s face, however, it seemed he had bought the lie.

“...Did you really?” Levi looked straight into Eren’s eyes, grabbing the boy’s chin to hold him there. “Look me in the eyes and tell me that’s the truth.”

Eren swallowed thickly before nodding and staring straight back into Levi’s grey irises. “I’m telling the truth.”

“Then I believe you.” Levi leaned his face in close to Eren’s and placed his lips on the prince’s, softly kissing him and almost immediately Eren returned the action. The boy quickly got lost in the feeling as he wrapped his arms tighter around Levi’s waist while the older draped his arms over Eren’s shoulders. Allowing himself to get lost in the pleasure, the prince fought down the wave of guilt that threatened to wash over him at any moment for lying to his partner. He was doing it for the sake of them, Eren told himself which was partially true. He really liked Levi but if the king had found out he was really the prince of Maria then he would most likely send Eren back to his kingdom. And the prince had also learned another thing about Levi, the man didn’t like people who ditched responsibilities.

Eren couldn’t let Levi know about him, not as long as he wanted a life with the man in his lap. The prince vowed to never tell Levi of his royal responsibilities. 

***

After their talking and touching each other, Levi had managed to convince Eren to go back to the castle where they both sat down in the dining hall. The chef prepared a wonderful meal of mushroom soup and peppered steak but Eren’s tastebuds only allowed him to eat the soup. 

The king found it quite amusing that Eren couldn’t seem to stomach anything but sweets, bread and plain dishes that usually only consisted of one or two ingredients. The chef had even started sending out a separate loaf of bread just for Eren.

Levi watched Eren eat and couldn’t help but laugh softly at the boy, he was just like a kid as he dipped some bread into his soup. The king watched his partner fondly until Eren caught on to the fact that he was being watched and looked at Levi with big, sparkling eyes.

Feeling all the air leave his body, Levi took every moment he had to stare at those gorgeous orbs. Ever since the king and prince became official, Eren had decided to wear his blindfold less and less everyday so Levi now got to see the boy’s eyes quite often. Speaking of the blindfold, Eren had to start wearing a different one which was a deep, forest green colour due to his red one being taken away by the Titans. 

Every time the king saw those bright irises he couldn’t help but be entranced by their beauty each time, there was no way any man could be so gorgeous but yet, Levi had the proof right in front of him. Eren, possibly the best looking person in world, sat at Levi’s dining room table, dipping bread into soup. And the king had yet to get the boy into his bed, properly. Sure, they slept under the same covers before but what Levi wanted to do to the man before him was more... Sinful.

“How’s the bread?” Levi snapped himself back into reality and he felt his heart flutter when Eren smiled at him.

“It’s really good, then again I think all carbs are amazing.” Eren smiled sheepishly as Levi let out a click of his tongue in amusement. 

“And yet you still have a great figure. I don’t know how you managed to keep that up.” Levi eyed Eren’s collars bones which were exposed by the boy’s wide v-neck shirt. They looked even more delicious than the steak.

“A lot of people ask me how I do it too.” Eren shrugged his shoulders as if he wasn’t a biological mystery. “I don’t understand why everyone is so surprised though. I basically live for physical activity.”

Levi smirked at the words and he eyed Eren with a mischievous glint playing in his eyes. “Oh? Any physical activity you’d be interested in doing with me?”

Eren blinked in confusion but quickly answered. “I wouldn’t mind doing some training and stuff with you. You have a great body and I know you don’t get it by just lazing around and commanding people.” Eren smiled and cocked his head to the side. “You should start training me, I’d like to have to extra skills when fighting creatures.”

Levi couldn’t believed Eren had just turned down his invitation to get in bed with him for a contract in training. He knew Eren wasn’t innocent when it came to sex but did he really not understand Levi’s blatant flirting attempt?

Suddenly Eren’s facade dropped and the boy looked at the king mischievously. “Like I said, Levi. It’ll take you a lot more than that to get me in bed with you. Do something daring and I might interested enough.” The way Eren said that, as if he were daring Levi to push him down sent chills throughout the king as he abandoned his dinner to get up and walk up to Eren. The boy was still smirking from where he sat as he watched Levi approach him and lean down in front of him.

“Feeling confident?” Levi smiled and Eren gave him a nod in confirmation.

“Very.”

“I still don’t know how far you’ll let me go with you.” Levi chuckled darkly as he brought his hand up to run through Eren’s hair. “But I’ll keep trying, so if I ever do something you don’t like I want you to say ‘freedom’ and I’ll stop immediately.” Eren felt his heart thump as he stared into Levi’s eyes, the king being very sincere and serious about this. “Say you understand if you want me to continue.” As Levi said this he fisted his hand in Eren’s hair tugged in it slightly, making the younger shiver and hiss in pain but also, strangely, pleasure? 

Eren had never felt anything quite this complicated before, he had never once had any sexual desires when travelling the world and he had seen many attractive people. So why did he only feel this happy with Levi? Was his dad right? Did Eren really only need to get to know someone in order for him to fall in love with them? The prince looked at the man before him and bit his lip. His piercing, grey eyes, his thin lips, smooth skin, raven hair... He was gorgeous, that was for sure, Eren didn’t think he had met another person who could compare to Levi’s looks. So was that it? Did Eren just like Levi for his looks like some shallow low-life? No, that was wrong, the prince loved Levi’s personality. Then again, Eren loved Reiner’s personality but he still wasn’t emotionally invested in him like he was with Levi, so what made this king so damn special? It was driving Eren nuts and he figured he had stared at Levi too long because he felt the grip start to loosen on his hair as the king started to pull away with a frown on his face.

“Sorry, went too far, huh?” Levi looked worried as he went to release Eren only for the boy to grab his hand and bring it to his mouth to kiss it.

“Sorry, I was just thinking about things... You didn’t go too far, don’t worry.” Eren quickly said as he brought Levi’s hand up to his cheek and the king gave a small smirk as he returned the embrace, cupping Eren’s cheek.

“If you don’t want this we don’t have to. It’s up to you what you want to do.” Those words made Eren’s eyes widened as he looked at the man who made his heart throb and ache. The prince understood why he loved Levi so much, it was so clear that he was practically kicking himself for not noticing earlier.

Eren knew people loved him, he knew there were people ready to die for him and he knew everyone respected him. What no one ever seemed to do for him... was give him a choice. He was always being forced into things or people tried to persuade him into doing their bidding, but Levi... Ever since Eren had come to Rose he had been free to make his own choices and even now the king was still giving Eren this freedom. Heck, Levi had even given the prince a safe word in case he wanted to stop everything despite Levi obviously wanting it. Eren felt his heart thump loudly in his chest as he looked up at Levi with furrowed brows. The prince bit his lip and to the king Eren looked as though he were in pain.

“Eren? Are you okay?” Levi asked hurriedly, getting on his knees to do a once over of the boy.

Eren dropped his head and he started laughing as he still held onto Levi’s hand. “Am I okay?” Eren shook with laughter as he finally looked up to see Levi’s worried face, his lips slowly curling into a smile. “I’m better than okay.”

Levi’s eyes widened as he saw the most gorgeous smile he had ever seen grace Eren’s lips. It was so genuine and pure that it sent Levi’s heart into overdrive, thundering loudly against his chest.

They both didn’t know who moved first but before they knew it, they locked lips, Levi pulling Eren onto the ground beside him to deepen the kiss. The prince draped his arms over Levi’s shoulders and the king’s arms went to Eren’s waist, pulling each other closer until their chests were flush against each other. Even still the distance between them felt too great and Levi pulled Eren on top of him without breaking the deepening kiss. Eren groaned as he felt Levi’s tongue swipe over his bottom lip and the prince parted his mouth to allow Levi to slip his tongue in. They both became breathless far too quickly but neither seemed to notice the lack of oxygen in their systems. That was, until, Eren couldn’t stay upright any longer and collapsed against Levi, hands bunching in the king’s shirt to keep from falling over.

Levi chuckled darkly as he broke the kiss to look down at Eren who was grasping onto him desperately with hooded eyes. He looked pretty, and Levi took the time to appreciate how the man before him looked so needy for something more when usually he wasn’t interested in sex. But the king wouldn’t just give in to the boy’s desires so easily. Eren made it clear that they were going to progress at his pace so anything he wanted, he would have to properly tell Levi.

“What do you want me to do?” Levi asked softly as he leaned back down to Eren to lick the the side of his neck, causing the young man to shiver and let out a soft gasp.

“Ahh...” Eren turned his head to the side to give Levi more room for his attack on the his neck, refusing to say anything. 

Levi continued his licking and sucking on the tanned skin until he stopped abruptly to look at Eren with a raised eyebrow. “Well? I don’t know how far to go without you specifying.” A cocky smirk played on the king’s lips and Eren knew Levi wouldn’t just take the lead, he was expecting Eren to tell him everything he was allowed to do.

Frustrated and embarrassed, Eren hung his head and mumbled something against his chest, making Levi laugh.

“Can’t hear you, brat.”

“I said kiss me!” Eren snapped as he suddenly threw his head up to look at Levi with fiery eyes. They were filled with nothing but passion and want, it made Levi snap and smash his mouth against the younger’s. Usually Levi would have more self control... so why was this boy in front of him making him go wild?

Initially shocked by the sudden impact, Eren quickly caught up to the situation and kissed Levi back, letting his hands fly into the king’s hair and tug gently at it. The slight pain only added to the pleasure Levi felt, his own hands grabbing at Eren’s side to pull him closer to him. The two both briefly thought about how they were still in the dining room but being too caught up in the moment, they both ignored it. How could they possibly focus on anything else but each other?

Levi pulled away once more to catch his breath and took that time to look over Eren’s face. The boy’s cheek were stained a deep shade of red, his lips were swollen and wet from the passionate kissing and his eyes practically gleamed with happiness.

“I really like you...” Eren said softly and the words sent the king’s heart on a race once more. 

“Yeah... I like you too.” Levi said as he kissed Eren’s forehead quickly. The prince smiled as he let his head fall forward against Levi’s shoulder, savouring the intimate moment.

That was, until, a loud banging interrupted them.

“Levi~ I don’t know what I’m intruding in on but I have news for you whenever you’re... finished!” Hanji giggled wickedly from behind the door and Levi groaned.

If the damn four eyes kept screwing up his time with Eren then he would surely destroy her before the Titans.

***

“You look satisfied.” Hanji chuckled as Levi sent her a murderous glare, although it wasn’t very convincing seeing as the king’s hair was in a state of disarray and his lips were swollen. He looked like he had just gotten laid and Hanji made sure he understood that. This just made the man even more pissed off.

“You better have a really fucking good reason why I’m here.” Levi indicated to Hanji’s office that was an absolute mess, the king visibly cringing as he looked at the room. Papers were thrown everywhere, tea cups and dishes were piled up on every table and... pens. There were hundreds of pens just scattered in any area Levi looked at. Completely filthy.

From the seat next to Levi, Erwin only shook his head disapprovingly at the room before focusing his attention back on Hanji. “I agree with Levi, why’d you ask for both of us to be here?”

Hanji’s demeanour suddenly turned serious as she sighed and took a seat in front of the men. This made Levi perk up a bit, the woman was never like this unless it meant trouble.

“I heard... rumours from a man who frequents my shop. He’s close with the royal family of Maria so he got ahold of this piece of information... Remember, this is just a rumour that hasn’t been made official but still, I find it very... Threatening.” Sighing once more, Hanji took off her glasses and pinched the bridge of her nose, her hesitancy making Levi’s gut fill with dread. “Maria... Plans on making an alliance with Titan.”

Levi’s eyes widened and from beside the king, Erwin inhaled sharply. The info had caught both men off-guard, neither ever being able to see something like this happening.

“I know.” Hanji shook her head sadly. “I’m not sure why the Yeager’s suddenly want an alliance with a bandit gang but this means trouble.”

“Their prince is gone and they plan to make an alliance with a bandit group...” Erwin repeated the info to himself as he held his chin in his hand. The blond’s eyes were calculating as he tried to make sense of the information but it was obvious even he was stumped. “For a sudden move like this... There could be a myriad of possibilities that led the Yeager’s to this point. It probably has to do with their missing prince as well...”

“Whatever the reason, it can’t happen.” Levi shook his head. “The Yeager’s only have one child who is gone to who knows where. Yes, they have their adoptive daughter or whatever they could marry off but Titan only has a single queen. They have no one else of importance besides her so it would make no sense for Titan to marry her to someone who isn’t an heir.” Levi tried to make sense of everything but he really couldn’t.

“Titan must have information that the Yeager’s want.” Erwin concluded and Levi nodded in agreement. “If they’re using it as blackmail or as a bribe to get Maria to cooperate, my guess is as good as any... The real question is if we decide to get Rose involved.” Erwin shifted his gaze over to his king, awaiting his response.

Levi crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, a million different thoughts racing through his mind. “I don’t think we really have a choice. Titan is our enemy, if they join Maria we’ll be destroyed and if they don’t we’ll still be destroyed unless we get help from another kingdom. We’ll have to make a move soon and by soon a mean like we need to get shit together and packed and head to Maria tomorrow. Hanji, send a letter to Maria stating I’d like to come for a visit.” Levi commanded and Hanji nodded quickly before getting her task started.

The blond man beside Levi did not move as the King got up from his chair, instead eyeing the back of his king’s head until he spoke. “So The plan is to persuade Maria to join our side? Is that all?” 

Levi stopped as he turned around to face Erwin, eyeing the man’s ridiculous eyebrows. “My plan is to firstly get information and secondly get Maria on our side if things are as bad as we think. We just don’t know anything right now and not knowing anything gets you killed.” Levi sighed irritably and ran a hand through his hair. “Just, get an expedition ready. Keep it under fifteen men, we can’t have Maria thinking we’re preparing for a war.” Erwin snorted at that and Levi glared at the blond man.

“Isn’t that exactly what we’re doing? War is the only thing we know how to do.” Erwin raised an eyebrow at Levi, clearly amused by the situation.

Levi stared a while longer at Erwin before turning his back on the man and walking away from him. Once he reached the office door, the king looked back around at Erwin through the corner of his eye. “It may be the only thing we know how to do but that doesn’t mean I enjoy it.” With that, Levi left.

***

“My queen.” The man with the scraggly voice bowed before Carla, his stubbly chin nearly touching the floor in some overdramatized bow. The queen already hated the man, just something about him seemed very off and it made her nervous. Despite her feelings she put her best smile on her face and stood up from her throne to give a small curtsy in return.

“Sir Nile Dawk. A pleasure to meet the personal advisor of a queen who is just starting a beautiful kingdom.” Carla addressed the woman in a gold dress beside Nile. The queen recognized the girl from when she was only a child, she and Eren had played together during their childhoods until the girl disappeared with her family years ago.

But her she was now, all grown up. And the queen to a bandit group.

“My queen, I am aware your husband could not meet with us which I understand completely. The king must be very busy trying to organize his kingdom all the while trying to find his own son. My condolences.” Nile continued and the queen felt her eye twitch at the annoyance the man brought her.

“Thank you, Sir Nile, but your condolences aren’t needed. My son is an adventurous little being and I’m sure he’ll be home any day now.” Of course Carla was lying but she didn’t want to tell these people anything. In fact, she wasn’t even sure why these people were in her castle or who had permitted them entrance. She wanted them out.

“Really?” The question made Carla freeze, something changing in Nile’s voice. She looked closely at the man and watched his eyes flicker mischievously while a small smile playing on his lips. 

Not knowing what the despicable man was getting at, the queen narrowed her eyes as she sat up in her seat, “What are you trying to hint at, Nile?” The queen realized she didn’t address him as ‘sir’ but didn’t bother correcting herself. He hardly deserved such a civil title.

“Well, your highness.” He hissed. “What if I told you I knew where the prince was?”

Carla didn’t know what to say. Her mind raced with thoughts ranging from thinking he was lying to thinking that it could be possible. She didn’t know what to believe.

“What proof do you have?” The queen finally asked, trying to keep her facade strong but inside she was a wreck of nerves.

“Well, I managed to snatch this when I encountered him. He was wearing it over his eyes, probably to keep his identity a secret considering his appearances are infamous. You raised a smart boy.” Nile took out a blood red cloth from his back pocket and gave it to a nearby guard who then brought it up to his queen.

Carla took the cloth carefully and observed it, her fingers running over the material that was obviously imbued with some sort of magic. “...How did you come across my son?” The queen didn’t look up as she asked this, her stomach filling with dread when she heard the Titan’s queen, who had been silent up until now, inhale sharply.

“...My queen. You should know that we are a bandit group. Murder, tests, rape... Anything is possible for us.” Nile explained slowly and Carla felt as though she wanted to throw up. She should’ve known not to treat bandits as if they were an actual kingdom. They probably found Eren when ransacking a village or a cottage... They probably beat him and tortured him until he escaped or worse...

“...You better give me a good reason why I shouldn’t call my guards to lock both of you up right here and right now.” Her voice shook as Carla suddenly clenched the fabric in her hands, looking up at the still cocky Nile and the very nervous Titan queen.

“I have three, actually.” Nile smiled as he took his queen’s hand in his and looked at her lovingly. “Would you like to tell her, my beautiful queen, or shall I?”

The girl bit her lip before nodding and she turned her gaze back at Carla who was currently glaring at her, almost daring her to say something she would disapprove of. To Carla’s surprise, however, the queen spoke.

“It is true, what Nile said. We are a bandit organization where laws from other nations do not bind us. If you lock us up now... We’ll have Valor killed. All of Titan knows where he is now.” The queen’s voice shook and Carla scowled. The shaking in her voice clearly indicated to the Marian queen that Titan’s leader wasn’t used to threatening but even still, Carla knew Titan threats were the real deal.

“S-second...” The dark haired queen continued as she dropped Nile’s hand and took a step forward. “Titan can help Maria. You know we’re here for an alliance and before you say no, just listen. Maria finds the Titans the most threatening enemy at this time, right? Well, if Valor and I got married then Maria would be able to know everything about Titan. Our secrets, plans... Everything. That would make other kingdoms trust you more too.”

Carla shook her head,unconvinced. “You’re naive. Kingdoms would be even more wary of Maria and Titan, they would distrust us even more because they’ll start to think that if Maria sudden takes on the morals of bandits... Then their kingdoms will be in trouble. It’s no secret Maria has the best military but the nations allow Maria to keep growing stronger because they trust us Yeager’s and our morals. We can’t have our reputation tainted because Titan wants more power.” The dark haired queen seemed to seriously take this into consideration but when she looked back at Carla, the queen knew her explanation had went into the Titan queen’s right ear and out her left.

“Third reasoning... Because you want Valor to get married, right? I believe I can bring him everything he could ever need. I swore that to him when we were children and I plan on keeping that promise. So, if you accept these terms... We’ll tell you where Valor is.”

Carla didn’t know what to say as her brain scanned the info she had just collected but no conclusions were coming up. Eventually the older queen sighed, slumping in her chair and rubbing her temple with her thumb. She had lost all hope of trying to have a formal meeting at this point. 

“Give me some time to think it over and to discuss with my husband.” Carla shook her head disbelievingly at the small woman before her, admiring how she had grown but at the same time terrified seeing as she had changed so much and spoke of murder like it was nothing. “Well, Mina.” Carla addressed the Titan queen by her real name for the first time. “I suppose, it’s nice to see you again.”

Mina, the queen, for the first time since coming to Maria, smiled. The gesture sent chills up Carla’s spine.

“My queen. It is a pleasure to see you again.” Mina bowed her head and smiled wider, determination coursing through her veins as she thought about how close Valor was to becoming hers.

The Titan queen couldn’t wait to have her childhood crush finally in her grasp after so many years of waiting.

***

Eren looked at Levi with wide eyes and fear written all over his face. The boy’s hands shook as he processed the information and Levi couldn’t stand it. For the first time since the king had met Eren, he had seen fear on his face and it was certainly a sight he did not want to get used to.

Going up to his boyfriend, Levi gently cupped his cheek with his hand and leaned his face close to kiss Eren’s forehead. “It’s all just rumours so I don’t know if anything is true. But... That’s why I have to go to Maria and try to make an alliance.”

Eren tried to take in Levi’s words but he was still stuck on the idea of Titan making an alliance with his family. He knew his mother hated the bandit group and so did his father so what was Titan holding over the Yeager’s to make them agree to something like this? Eren’s mind spun with terrifying thoughts that made him want to get home as fast as he could.

“Levi!” Eren suddenly yelled, jumping on the man and looking at him desperately.

The king, who realized he had been ignored, stared at Eren with wide eyes. “Yes?”

“Take me with you, please! I need to get back there!” Eren clenched his fists in Levi’s shirt and looked up at the man with pleading eyes.

The king looked at the boy for a few minutes, the look in his own eyes unreadable to Eren. Levi eventually sighed before nodding. “If you really want to then who am I to hold you back?” The king said this but inside he was wishing Eren wouldn’t go with him.

Eren was obviously acting on impulse but Levi had already thought this scenario through. If Eren went back to Maria, no doubt people would recognize him and try to keep him there after the whole ordeal was over. On top of that, Eren was a nobleman, he couldn’t marry a king to make a proper alliance between Rose and Maria... And would the Yeager’s even want an alliance between their two kingdoms? Would they really waste marrying their only child off to such a small kingdom they could easily take out if it came to it? No, they would align themselves with a bigger, stronger kingdom.

Either way Levi looked at the situation, he knew that Eren wouldn’t be his for much longer.

The look on the boy’s face, however, made Levi forget all of his selfish desires as he stared into those fiery, passionate eyes that sent his heart racing each time he looked at them. If it was for Eren, Levi was willing to do anything including letting him go. Although... the king never really had Eren in his grasp to begin with, did he?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Idk if things are confusing to anyone right now??? Cause I’ve been making plot changes so idk if anyone understand what’s happening... just let me know so I can explain things properly in further chapters! Thank you! And I hope you enjoyed o/


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Smut incoming (not major)

Christa wasn’t there to see Eren off. The prince knew she was mad but he didn’t think she’d be so angry with him that she wouldn’t even come see him off. Especially considering he may never return to Rose. Perhaps it was better this way, Christa did tell him to leave sooner rather than later so the prince tried not to think about the hurt he felt, instead focusing on the task at hand.

Eren had been given a lovely, brown mare to ride to Maria and the boy had already fallen in love with the gentle horse. Her name was Sasha and every moment no one was looking at her she would steal food. It didn’t matter if it was a piece of bread lying around or dropped vegetables, she ate everything. Her favourites were potatoes and having picked up on this, Eren took every chance he could get to sneak his horse friend a starchy snack.

“Good girl.” Eren said lovingly as he patted Sasha’s nose, taking out a potato from his pocket, which he stole from Levi’s pantry, before putting it in front of the horse. In one swift motion, Sasha snatched the potato and started to munch loudly, neighing happily as she fed.

“So that’s where all the potatoes went.” Eren couldn’t help but wince at the voice as he turned around to see Levi walking towards him, an amused smiling playing on his lips.

“Sorry...” The prince grumbled as looked down at his feet like some toddler who was being scolded. Levi only huffed as he stopped in front of Eren and reached a hand up to wrap around the back of the boy’s neck. Levi pulled the taller man down to his own height to place a soft kiss on Eren’s lips, satisfied when his boldness earned him a blush in response.

“I don’t mind, it’s the chef you should be apologizing to. Tonight was supposed to be roasted potatoes.” Levi teased his boyfriend to which Eren only pouted at. The king wished he could keep up his happy charade but unfortunately there were more important things to discuss. “Did you say your goodbyes?”

“...Yeah. Everyone except Christa but Petra said she would pass the message a long.” The look on the boy’s face was one of regret and if there was absolutely one thing Levi couldn’t stand: it was regrets.

“Let me talk to her.” The king said and Eren raised an eyebrow as his eyes met Levi’s, silently asking the king just what he was going to do. “Just trust me.” Was all Levi said as he made his way back to the castle and sped walked through the halls until he stopped in front of Christa’s room. It was locked but the light peeking out from under the crack of the door gave Christa away. Giving a sharp knock, Levi waited with his hands on his hips, his eyebrow already raised in question when the blond hesitantly peeked out from her makeshift shield, only opening the door a fraction.

“...What?” She asked softly, her voice raspy and the one visible eye was red and puffy. She had been crying.

“What do you think?” Levi sighed as he tried to open the door but Christa used her body to push back. The king could’ve easily ripped the door off the hinges but he decided to give Christa the privacy she wanted. He stopped trying to force his way in as he sighed once more. “Eren’s really upset, you know. I don’t know what he said to set you off and quite frankly, I don’t care. All I know is that this could be the last time you see him. Once he returns to Maria... Even I don’t know what will happen.” Levi watched Christa squirm for a moment, knowing his words were getting through to her.

The girl seemed to have given up as the pressure on the door was released and Levi was able to nudge it open with the toe of his boot. There the blond stood, her head down in shame with small tears welling up in the corner of her eyes. If there was one thing Levi was weak too, it would have to be tears.

“Don’t cry.” The king pleaded as he leaned down onto one knee before the girl and took her hands in his. Christa couldn’t bear to look at him as she focused on a spot on the ground, trying to hold back tears. 

“I can’t help it...” She muttered. “He’s so horrible Levi... How could he leave his family behind and then leave us behind too? It’s just not fair! Eren... He isn’t fair...” A single tear fell from Christa’s eye.

Levi reached into his back pocket to pull out a handkerchief and he used it to wipe the tear away from the blond’s cheek. “I know.” Levi started as Christa finally managed to look up at him. “Eren isn’t a fair person. He’s gorgeous yet he isn’t interested in romance. He’s admired by everyone yet he does stupid things. And... everyone loves him... But he leaves them all behind for his only love which is adventure. The goddess made such a beautiful person but he’s just unobtainable. So yeah, I agree with you that Eren is an unfair person.” 

Christa only sighed in response as she leaned against Levi, closing her eyes as if she were exhausted. “Do you think he’ll come back?”

Levi hesitated before answering.

“No.”

Christa nodded, not opening her eyes but when she spoke her voice started to break. “So this is my only chance to say good bye?”

Levi didn’t have to answer her question, instead he slowly rose to his feet and picked Christa up.

“Like I said, he’s an unfair person, Christa. He’s bold, beautiful... and completely unobtainable.”

***

Eren didn’t want to think about going home as he mounted Sasha, steadying himself so he wouldn’t flip over in the saddle. 

Well, of course he wanted to go home to see everyone and visit the place he had spent his childhood but... He was afraid of what would be waiting for him once he arrived. His parents were probably furious, no they were definitely furious. They had always been so protective of him that Eren never once questioned if his parents loved him. One of the most heartbreaking memories he had as a child was when he was deathly sick with ammonia when he was only six years old. Eren’s mom had stayed by his side the entire time; she wouldn’t eat, sleep or even leave Eren by himself. She was always there with him. The thought of his mother’s health slowly deteriorating brought small tears to Eren’s eyes as he was finally just realizing how stupid he was for running away like this. The prince was beginning to hate himself for it and he knew if Levi ever found out the truth he would surely hate him too. 

The idea of losing Levi made Eren’s heart clench in pain and the brunette grasped at his chest, his fingers clenching at his shirt. These thoughts hurt him so much that he didn’t think he’d be able to bear it. That’s when he heard Christa shouting at him.

Looking around, confused, Eren furrowed his eyebrows when he couldn’t spot the blond girl until he felt something hit his head. Just as the foreign object bounced off the top of his head, the prince caught it midair and looked down at what had hit him. It was a silver earring, imbedded in it a sapphire which colour reminded Eren of Christa’s eyes. RealIzing where it had come from, the prince looked up at one of the castle towers he was nearby to and saw Levi and the blond girl looking down at him.

“Eren, you’re horrible! You left your family and now you’re leaving me!” Even from this distance Eren could tell she was crying by how red her face was and he couldn’t help but tear up himself. He had been so used to watching people put on brave faces when saying good bye to him... That he hadn’t even realized the pain they must of felt after he was gone, how much they had cried. Seeing Christa like this made Eren snap.

It took one tear to start the steady stream that now flowed carelessly down Eren’s face as he clenched the earring tightly in his hand, unable to tear his gaze away from Christa.

“You better come back someday and return my earring!” She yelled down and reached out her hand, as if wanting to touch the prince. “Promise me, you’ll come back! I want to see you again!”

What else could Eren say?

“I promise!”

***

Levi held Eren tightly in his arms as Sasha carried them both along the dusty road, the other horses and supply carts following noisily behind the couple. The two had opted to ride on the same horse, Eren facing Levi, until the prince had calmed down some and judging by how much he was clinging to Levi, he was still pretty emotionally weak.

The king didn’t complain, however, as he had always wanted to hold onto Eren like this, even if it was on a horse.

“You have a pretty neck.” Levi heard Eren grumble from where he was resting his head against the older’s shoulder. Levi didn’t bother looking down and instead offered a smirk. 

“Is it?” The king asked, amused.

“Yeah...” Eren blushed as he stared longer at the unmarked skin, so pale and smooth... The boy didn’t know why he was so fixated on it but he was. And he wanted to do something to it. That was until Levi spoke again.

“Don’t you dare attack me on a damn horse. If we’re going to do it, it needs to be proper.” Levi said seriously but he still wore a half amused smile. This only made Eren pout, however he decided to follow Levi’s command.

“Fine, whatever you say, your highness.” Just to spite him, Eren gave Levi’s collar bone a soft kiss before resting his head back down on the king’s shoulder. Very slowly, Eren thought he could see Levi’s neck turn a soft shade of pink. Surely his eyes were deceiving him, right? But upon looking at the older’s face, Eren couldn’t help but smile. Levi was blushing.

The king looked incredibly embarrassed and annoyed, probably wondering how a brat like Eren could draw such a reaction from him but here he was. Blushing like a teenaged school girl.

“I thought I said no attacking?” Levi hissed but this only made Eren giggle. 

“I only kissed your shoulder, I didn’t think you’d get hard over it.” 

“Shut up, annoying brat.” Levi clicked his tongue but Eren could tell there was no malice behind his words. This only made the brunette smile as he wrapped his arms around Levi’s waist and held him close. 

The feeling felt so... surreal. It was different than how it felt to hug his mom or friends. It also didn’t feel like hugging a pillow or cuddling with a cute escort. It was just... so comforting, it was as if Eren could feel the love Levi felt for him just by a single touch. And that’s when the prince realized the loud, rhythmic thumping. The sound wasn’t coming from the horse but from Levi’s chest. 

Eren pressed his ear against the raven’s chest and heard how quickly and loud his heart beat, the prince was afraid it was going too fast. And the reason it was moving like this was because of him. It made Eren’s heart flutter and the boy found himself slowly dozing off to the beautiful sound.

Levi looked down as he watched Eren’s eyes flutter close, smiling softly as the brunette’s fingers gripped into the back of his shirt. The wrinkles would take hours to fight out but... it was so worth it if it meant Eren would cling onto him like this. 

The king felt his heart start to ache as he reminded himself that Eren wouldn’t be his for much longer. Not after going to Maria. 

Eren may have thought he had Levi fooled with his lies of him being a nobleman but the raven wasn’t stupid. 

A noble family wouldn’t send palace guards after their child, Eren just couldn’t seem to provide an explanation for that. And lying to his face? The king couldn’t forgive anyone who did that to him, especially not a partner. However, because Eren insisted he wasn’t lying, Levi would ‘believe’ him until proven otherwise. But the king knew how this was going to end. He already knew Eren was lying. So he might as well treasure the happy moments while he still can.

Levi allowed himself a small, sad laugh. He had known Eren was lying to him this entire time so why did he start a relationship with him the boy in the first place? Was Levi so infatuated with Eren that he would accept his lies? Perhaps that was it, everyone in Rose fell in love with Eren after all. 

*** 

Night came far too quickly and at the pace they were going, the king realized it would take them another four days at least to reach Maria but their supplies may not last that long.

“I think we need to stop at this village.” Erwin pointed to a spot on the map and Levi squinted at the spot, trying to find the name of the land but there was nothing. 

“Are you sure there’s even a village there? It isn’t even marked.” Levi scowled, leaning closer to the fire that crackled and illuminated the dark, cold night.

“I’m positive. I’ve been there before but I have to warn you that they aren’t fans of royalty. The people enjoy their freedom.” Erwin went quiet and Levi slowly pieced he information together.

“They don’t have leaders.” Levi didn’t ask but instead stated and Erwin winced. “Erwin, are you fucking serious? That town must be fucking anarchy.”

“It’s not completely. It is dangerous but they do have supplies and they’re the only village heading towards Maria. We don’t really have a choice unless you want to tell everyone that they’ll be getting smaller rations? Some people not getting any?” Erwin was asking rhetorically, already knowing the answer and Levi knew he was right. They would have to put themselves in danger in order to make it to Maria.

“Fine, whatever. We’ll head out tomorrow at six.” Was all Levi said before getting up from his spot by the fire and walking back to his tent. It was located in the centre of all the others to ensure his safety. 

Scratching the back of his head tiredly, the king couldn’t wait to get into his cot and just get some sleep before they had to wake up. He assumed he had about five hours to do so but when he walked into his tent and green eyes stared back at him, he knew he would have to scrap his plan. There sat Eren in his cot beside Levi’s, his shirt discarded and judging by how much skin was exposed from underneath the blanket, the brat wasn’t wearing any trousers either. Then looking back at Eren’s face, Levi saw the brunette smirk smugly at him and that’s when the king snapped. Of all the times Eren could have pulled a stunt like this, he had to do it at one in the morning when Levi was at his weakest and couldn’t restrain himself. Whatever the king was going to do to the boy was completely Eren’s fault.

“Fuck...” Levi ran a hand through his hair as he let his eyes roam over Eren’s chest and abs and then finally land on a spot just above his crotch which was still hidden beneath the blanket. How Levi wanted nothing more than to rip that blanket away.

“You stayed up for me?” Levi tried to keep his voice calm as he slowly walked towards Eren and the boy nodded, a faint blush forming on his cheeks.

“I wanted to see you again before going to sleep.” Eren smiled and watched Levi approach him. The king then squatted next to Eren’s cot and gently cupped the prince’s cheek.

“Hmm... You should’ve gone to bed. We need to get up early but look what you’ve done.” Levi leaned his face close to Eren’s and gently pecked his lips before the prince responded.

“What have I done?” Levi huffed out a dark laugh, knowing Eren was all too aware of what he was doing. For the most part, the two had never gone this far, most of their touching having clothes in between and even then the touching was only groping at best. So this... meant that Eren wanted to go farther? Judging by how the brunette started to undo Levi’s white button up, he was more than happy to take a bigger step into their relationship.

“Fucking brat. We aren’t getting any sleep tonight.” Levi grumbled as he grabbed the blanket that hid the bottom half of Eren’s body and yanked it back. The king was not disappointed as he saw Eren’s half hard member.

The prince’s face was now a deep shade of red as he focused on unbuttoning Levi’s shirt still, hands shaking as he did so but still moving efficiently. Watching those beautiful, strong hands covered in callouses shake, Levi smiled softly as he shifted his gaze up to Eren’s gorgeous face. The boy was so amazing in Levi’s eyes. The king loved everything about him: from his body, to his hair, to his personality and his determination that drives him to accomplish anything he wants. How could the Goddess make such a perfect person? Then again, there was one flaw with Eren and it drove Levi insane because if he had only told the king the truth, Levi wouldn’t have to let him go like he would have to. The raven knew Eren was the prince all along, it wasn’t hard to piece info and evidence together and in Levi’s book: coincidences didn’t exist. The fact was... Levi gave Eren a chance to be truthful and tell him everything but because he didn’t, that meant the boy didn’t trust the older man and was willing to deceive him. Levi couldn’t stand that. And thinking of Eren like that made the raven wonder if the brat even really liked him.

“Levi?” Eren asked softly, his green eyes forcing Levi’s grey ones to look down at him. The brunette looked confused as he had finished undoing Levi’s buttons but the raven had yet to do anything else.

“Sorry, got lost in my thoughts.” Levi shook his head a bit as he refocused his attention on the boy before him who was now frowning worriedly.

“Are you... not up for this?” Eren cursed how his voice wavered, wanting to sound confident but after Levi had told him he was spacing out, the prince wondered if Levi was really feeling good at all.

“Relax, brat.” The king said darkly as he let his left hand fall onto Eren’s left thigh right below his crotch. The prince’s breath hitched in his throat as Levi gently massage the sensitive area. “I was thinking about you, as stupid as that may sound.” Eren smiled, relieved as he wrapped his arms around Levi’s shoulders and leaned his face close. 

“You’re right, that does sound stupid.” Letting out a soft gasp as the raven continued to massage his thigh, Eren started to pepper kisses against Levi’s face and neck, successfully drawing a soft moan from the older.

Laughing softly, Levi turned his head to the side to allow Eren more access to his neck. The brunette hummed as he slide his tongue along the exposed surface and sucked on a spot where he could feel the older man’s pulse. It was beating strong and fast and that made Eren smile. In a swift motion, the brunette grabbed Levi and flipped the older onto his back on the cot while Eren sat straddling his hips from above.

Levi, brain trying to make sense of what happened, blinked up at Eren for a few moments before quickly recovering with a smirk. “Well, aren’t you something?”

Smiling at the compliment, Eren started to undo Levi’s pants. “Hmm, I am.”

“You’re pretty confident, you sure you’ve never done this before?” Levi asked out of curiosity. Of course Eren had told him he was still a virgin but he didn’t know if Eren was telling the truth or spouting out more lies. It was hard to tell.

The way Eren faltered made Levi feel bad for asking and he was about to apologize when Eren spoke. “I-it’s definitely my first time... I’ve been groped and touched but I haven’t actually, like, came with someone else or whatever.” The way Eren’s cheeks lit up and how his ears were still the same shade as they always had been made Levi believe him as he grabbed onto Eren’s fleshy ass and began massaging. 

This made Eren gasp out a moan as Levi only smiled. “We won’t go all the way tonight then but I will make you come. You can bet on that.” Those words only made the brat turn a darker shade of red as his member was at full attention now and was begging for Levi’s touch.

“Spread your legs wider. I’m using my hand to clean up this mess.” Levi nodded towards Eren’s crotch and just like a puppy, the boy hesitated to obey but still ended up listening, spreading his legs open from his spot on top of Levi. The king propped himself up on one elbow to support himself as his other hand trailed up the inside of Eren’s thigh, successfully drawing a whimper from the prince. With a triumphant smirk on his face, Levi finally took Eren’s member into his hand and the sound that the brat made upon contact made the king want to come right then and there.

“Nghm! L-Levi!” Eren groaned as the older man started to slowly stroke the other’s cock, each movement making Eren release another sound. The king wanted to hear more but realized they were only in a tent surrounded by other people so he decided to save Eren the embarrassment. 

Suddenly flipping their positions so Eren was on his back and Levi was now on top, the raven haired man leaned down to steal another kiss from the brunette. Eren freely let his moans out into the kiss as Levi deepened it to muffle the desperate sounds the boy was making all the while continuing his stroking and thumbing of Eren’s slit. By the way the prince was starting to thrust his hips against Levi’s hand, the king could tell he was close.

Letting out a dark laugh, Levi pulled away from the kiss and watched Eren bite his lip to try to stay quiet but was failing to keep his voice back as small whimpers and desperate moans were escaping his lips.

“Fuck! Levi... m-my voice...” Eren pleaded desperately as his entire body started to shake with pleasure. The king only smiled at the boy as he brushed the brunette’s sweaty bangs from his eyes.

“Let me watch you come.” Levi requested as he leaned his forehead against Eren’s and the two held eye contact as Eren let out a strangled moan before coming over himself and Levi’s hand.

The two stayed where they were for a few moments while Eren caught his breath, meanwhile Levi admired the prince’s red, tired face.

“You’re gorgeous.” Levi smirked as he quickly kissed Eren and the boy tried to respond but ended up closing his eyes, letting the king take the lead. His body went limp in fatigue as his eyes fluttered shut and the king chuckled softly as he broke the kiss, fondly looking at Eren’s face as he started to fall asleep.

“—like you... Like you a lot, Levi...” Eren mumbled tiredly against Levi’s chest. Just as he was about to enter unconsciousness, he heard Levi’s reply and it made his heart flutter as he fell asleep.

***

“I like you, shitty brat.” Levi felt his heart thundering in his chest and a smile plastered across his face. He didn’t know what was happening to his body but he didn’t mind the way it made him feel. It was a feeling that he could get used to. Although he knew that wouldn’t be the case. Because Eren was lying to him, the brat still hadn’t come clean yet and they were getting closer and closer to Maria by the day. This was it, Levi had to decide enough was enough.

“Eren, as soon as we walk through the Marian walls, that’s when it’ll be too late for you to tell me everything. So tell me sometime during this trip. I’ll forgive if you just tell me within these next few days.” The king felt his heart start to tense up and he wanted to punch something. If only Eren has been honest with him from the start, he wouldn’t have to leave him otherwise.

Levi shook his head, not wanting to think of this so soon and decided to treasure the moments he had with the brat now while they still had time. So, the king decided to clean Eren and himself up, settle down against Eren’s side and let sleep consume him.

***

Carla was not happy with her husband. After everything this damn princess had said and done Grisha was still willing to let her stay just because she had once been Eren’s best friend... Men.

“I can’t believe you. I told you what she said and how she’s threatened our family and you’re just willing to listen to her?!” Carla yelled at her husband, not allowing him to utter a word while she continued her rant. “She threatened our son! Our son who we don’t know the where abouts of but she does! She’ll try to kidnap him or worse! Kill him! Grisha you saw her as a young child, you saw how possessive she was of Eren! That isn’t healthy! It never was! I dismissed it because you told me to and reassured me that it was just because they were children but look! He obsession with him is still ongoing!” To spare Carla from passing out from all her yelling, Mikasa got up from her spot on the couch and gently took her mother’s arm. With slow movements the raven lead the queen to take a seat on a chair so she could cool down before speaking.

“I agree with mom. Mina’s obsession with Eren was never healthy and when she moved away I personally thought that was the end of it. Apparently I was wrong. And you should realize this too.” Mikasa frowned at Grisha when he didn’t respond or even have a reaction to her words. He only sat with his arms folded over his chest and his legs crossed.

The room was filled with a silence that hung thick in the air, no one willing to speak up first to break the awkward tension. Mikasa bit her bottom lip, peering at Armin through the corner of her eye and hoping he would try to contribute something to this situation, something that would convince the king but the blond looked as though he was thinking of other things. Deciding she would speak first, Mikasa opened her mouth but Grisha interrupted her before she could begin.

For the first time, Mikasa noticed how old Grisha looked, sitting there slumped in a chair with bags and wrinkles defining his features and emotional eyes that used to be lit in the same way as Eren’s were now dimmed. He looked so tired and frail, it made Mikasa’s heart ache.

“I know the Titan group has bad intentions. I know that so you all don’t need to think that I’ve totally lost my marbles.” Grisha sighed, taking off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose with one hand. “I know I shouldn’t even consider having them stay in my lands and much less my castle but... they know where Eren is. I really don’t see why they would lie to us about that. If they were they would’ve come up with a fabrication years ago to try and form an alliance with us but no. They struck now because they do have the info we want. And unfortunately that information is about Eren who we all have missed... so much...” The king put his glasses back on as he looked up at Mikasa and held eye contact with her while telling her the next part. “I don’t care anymore, I don’t care what I need to do in order to get my son back. If Titan wants to form an alliance with us then fine. Let them. I don’t care about Maria’s reputation anymore I just want my son back. And I’m sure all of you feel the same.” With that, Grisha seemed to have dubbed this family meeting to have come to an end so he got up and started his way to the door. Before he could leave, however, Carla spoke up.

“He’s not defenceless, you know.” Carla’s voice cracked as Mikasa gently laid a hand on her mother’s quaking shoulders, procuring a tissue for the queen as she began to cry. “I want him back,of course I do. But he’s a smart boy that understands the world more than we ever could and if he really wanted to he would come back home. You know this, you’ve said it yourself so many times to me when he was away at sea.” Carla grit her teeth as she glared daggers at her husbands back, clenching her fists in tight balls as she screamed, “So why the hell did you stop believing in him now?! You’re willing to risk our entire kingdom, all of our hard work, our people, our history just because you’re afraid of losing your son?! Do you have no faith in that boy?!” Carla spat out her words as tears freely flowed down her face but she couldn’t bring herself to care. All that mattered right now was Grisha.

The king stood frozen with one hand on the door handle and his back to his family. He was obviously processing the words but just by his reaction Carla knew he wasn’t convinced.

Talking over his shoulder, Grisha opened the door fully. “Mina will marry Eren. Once she tells us where he’s located, once he’s brought back safe I will announce to the public that my son will marry Mina and he will become the new king.”

Once finished, Grisha exited the room and slammed the door shut behind him as Carla could only stare in shock at the place her husband had once been standing.

He had changed so drastically and so quickly. Well, no, perhaps she was wrong. Grisha had been changing over the years but she just hasn’t realized it.

He had went from being a free spirit like Eren to what he was now. A miserable king that didn’t know how to deal with a rebellious child. 

Smiling sadly, Carla looked at the table beside her where Grisha’s key that was held by a leather band sat, having been repaired from when Eren had broke it. Grisha has done the same thing once when he was Eren’s age, having thrown a tantrum to spite his own father as well. The two were so similar in so many ways, it scared Carla in fact. Because how Grisha turned out, she didn’t want that to be Eren’s future. And everything be damned if Carla would just sit by and watch that happen.

***

Eren didn’t think someone running their hand through his hair could feel so good. Plenty had touched his locks before like his mom, friends and even strangers. They had all complimented him on how nice his hair was thick and soft, the prettiest colour and how it suited him. But with Levi running his thin, long fingers through his strands, it made Eren feel so happy and it felt so good. It felt soothing.

“Good morning, brat.” Levi said softly as he noticed Eren starting to stir, carting his fingers through the messy locks before him.

With a yawn Eren returned the morning greeting and finally opened his eyes, the brightness of his orbs making Levi have to squint.

“What time is it?” Eren groaned as he started to get up into a sitting position just as Levi was. 

“I’m assuming it’s about five or five thirty judging by the sun. We need to get ready and move out soon.” Levi groaned as he started to get up. “Fuck... today is going to be a long day and we didn’t get enough sleep.”

Eren smirked at those words. “Yeah, probably wasn’t the wisest thing to do. We should do it together next time instead of just me.” Levi let out a huff at that, picking up his duffel bag and pulling out a folded shirt. Removing the one he was currently wearing, Levi began to change as Eren watched every movement his lover made, admiring the way Levi’s abs stretched as he changed.

Just as Levi was about to change his pants, however, the two heard a piercing scream coming from outside and a loud roaring that came after.

In an instant the whole camp was filled with screams and banging of guns, clashing of swords and Levi wasted no time as he grabbed his own sword and started to run outside.

Eren was already getting trousers on and grabbing his weapon when Levi yelled. “Stay here. Eren!” And with that Levi disappeared outside the tent.

“Like hell am I staying in a damn tent.” Eren rolled his eyes and pulled on his shirt before running outside and drawing his sword but he wasn’t prepared for what was in front of him.

Blood covered the ground and there were bodies of Levi’s soldiers everywhere, having been torn apart so cleanly Eren already knew what monster had done this.

The piercing roar from the creature only further convinced Eren that this could only have been one thing. As Eren turned his head to the right, he saw exactly what he was expecting. The giant humanoid monster with razor sharp teeth and claws bathing in the blood of its enemies. The prince’s heart stopped, however when he saw who the creature’s attention was on. Levi was yelling as he ran towards the monster but the being wouldn’t even look at the king. Instead, it had it’s sunken eyes on the little blond girl in front of him.

Christa had tears flowing down her cheeks as she tried to get up and run but a tree log that was on her leg prevented her from retreating. Eren felt his legs start to move as a million questions raced through his mind like ‘how was Christa here’ and ‘how did this happen’ but he had to focus on getting to the girl now before the monster did. 

Assessing the situation, both Levi and Eren knew there was no way either of the would make it to Christa before the monster did so the prince did the only thing he could think of.

“Levi! Watch your head!” Eren yelled as he planted his foot suddenly mid run and used that sudden force of momentum to throw his sword as hard as he could upwards towards the monsters chest.

Levi, having glanced back upon hearing his name, quickly dove to the ground as the sword whistled by his head and he quickly rolled up to continue running towards the young girl. Both men watched the sword make its way to the beast as they kept sprinting but it felt as though the world had slowed down. Praying the sword would hit its mark, Levi tore his gaze away and focused on getting to the girl who was only metres ahead of him now. Bracing himself for impact, Levi threw himself at the log and forcefully launched it off of the girl, his shoulder now bruised and probably dislocated but he didn’t have time to think of that. He scooped Christa up in his arms and started running away from the creature. The king looked back to see Eren still running towards the beast but his eyes widened when he saw the sword had embedded itself deep into the flesh of the monster. Everything seemed to proceed in slow motion as the beast stopped moving altogether and everyone watching wondered if the thrown sword really had stopped it. The question was answered once it moved it’s head to look down at its impaled body, slowly reaching a hand up to pull the sword out and let it fall to the ground.

Watching a blue liquid leak from the gash, the monster’s head suddenly snapped up in rage and its gaze quickly landed on Eren, targeting the prince.

Levi felt like he wanted to vomit as he could only watch Eren’s eyes widen in shock and fear as the prince quickly scanned around him. There were soldiers, wounded people, behind Eren so the prince couldn’t just run away, he couldn’t lead the monster to them. He had no choice, he had to get the monster away from this area just as he had done when clearing forests when he first met Levi. Throwing a look across the field, Eren made eye contact with Levi and the prince smiled at his lover as the monster started to charge towards the prince.

“Eren! Run!” Levi yelled, placing Christa down and started to run towards Eren himself. 

The prince tore his gaze away from Levi as he looked back at the creature and took a shaky breath before sprinting towards the monster.

“Timing is everything, timing is everything or else a lot of people will die timingiseverything. So just time it properly—“ Just before the monster could reach Eren, the prince dropped to the ground and let his momentum from running slide up underneath the beast and to the other side and ungracefully scramble back up to continue running. 

Eren looked over his shoulder to see the monster momentarily confused until it turned around and spotted him again. That’s when the chase continued and Eren focused his attention on the trail ahead of him again. 

His heart was pounding and his legs were already tired but his adrenaline was still high so he could probably run another few minutes or so if the monster didn’t catch him in that time. In any matter, he would probably have enough time to lead the monster far enough away until it caught him, so Levi and the others would be safe and have plenty of time to retreat.

Eren didn’t want to die, he really didn’t. He had spent his entire life wanting to be free and thinking nothing could kill him as he explored but if he learned anything from his travels, it was that anyone can die at any time. So, if he was going to die, he wanted to die for the man he loved and his people. Eren was prepared to leave this world even if he hadn’t said his goodbyes or kissed Levi one last time.

He was ready now.

The prince’s legs fell out from under him and he briefly thought that they had carried him farther than he had expected as his body crashed into trees and brush as he rolled down a small hill and into a clearing where sunlight shone brightly on the field.

Eren fell to the bottom of the hill and onto the grassy meadow where he willed himself to roll over onto his back and stare up at the cloudless sky. All he could see was blue and feel the tickle of wind on his face as he breathed heavily, tuning out the monster’s nearing footsteps. Instead, Eren tried to think of Levi’s face and Christa’s warmth. A shadow started to blur Eren’s vision and the prince could only watch in horror as the monster crawled over top of Eren and stared it’s ugly face down onto the prince’s.

“You definitely weren’t the last thing I wanted to see.” Eren’s voice shook as tears entered his eyes. “I’d give anything, to see Levi right now.” Closing his eyes, Eren let out a sad laugh as tear fell down his cheeks. 

Goodbye, Levi.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s been... way too long I’m so sorry. I lost inspiration to write this fic as school came to end and all I could focus on was studying but I will never abandon this fic! So I am back with a chapter that was not edited and is a lot shorter than I wanted it to be ;-; But hey, did the smut make up for it???? I hope it did. Anyways leave a comment if you enjoyed :D


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woah wtf... When I was in my land of AFKness I completely missed that we hit a hundred kudos... You’re all too kind to a person who can’t update consistently omg thank you to everyone who keeps up with me o///o

He waited for an impact. A sudden wave of pain. A loud explosion from the force behind the monster’s blow. But nothing came. Eren still felt his legs that were nothing but gelatin, he could hear the wind rustling the grass by his ears.

Tentatively, he opened his eyes and what he saw before him didn’t surprise him. There the monster, stood over him, staring down with frightening eyes but... there was something off. The monster seemed to be... inspecting him?

Opening his eyes fully, Eren stared back at the creature, wondering what it was waiting for. After a few more moments of the ongoing staring, the monster let out a grunt of air and leaned down closer to the prince. Eren flinched as the creature’s nose was merely inches away from his face but still there was no impact. The monster was... smelling him? What the hell was going on? It had so much time to tear him to shreds, to devour him and all that violent stuff monsters do but.. Why this? Why was it just analyzing him? No creature had the prince ever come across do something like this, this was more terrifying than anything he had ever been through. 

“Eren! Move out of the way!” The prince heard Levi’s voice from the distance suddenly call out to him. Mustering up whatever energy he could, Eren forced himself to roll over to get out of the way of the monster as Levi came into view, running at top speed towards the the beast.

Eyes still on Eren, the creature didn’t notice Levi run up its back until it was too late. The king moved at a godly speed and in a swift motion, plunged his sword deep into the nape of the monster’s neck and the most ear piercing scream filled the air as the creature arched in pain, nearly throwing Levi off but the king only pressed his sword further into the rough flesh. The monster spat up the blue liquid once more, tossing it all over Levi and Eren as it’s body froze and twitched a few times before falling forward and landing with a loud thump.

Levi... killed it.

Eren stared at the defeated foe laying beside him and wondered what the hell had just happened. Why hadn’t it killed him? Why did it just... inspect him? Eren felt too tired to even try to decipher the reason why his life was spared as he watched Levi jump down from the creature’s back and land on the grass.

The king immediately rushed to Eren’s side and leaned down next to the prince who tried to get up but couldn’t.

Levi placed his hands on Eren’s shoulders to keep him lying down, eyes filled with worry. “Keep laying down for a bit, adrenaline is probably the only thing that was keeping you going and now that it’s spent your body is crashing. Just take a few minutes to recover.” Nodding, Eren listened to his partner and stayed where he was, noticing the way his entire body was shaking.

“It... it didn’t kill me.” Eren said in his own disbelief as Levi gave him a weird look, one that was a mix between worry and relief. “It could have. It had so much time but it didn’t. Levi it didn’t kill me, why the hell am I alive?” The king shook his head as he cupped Eren’s cheeks with his hands and looked down at the boy.

The prince had splatters of the creature’s blood on his face, his entire body shook as adrenaline left his system, the terrified look on his face making Levi’s heart clench.

“L-Levi I thought I was going to die before I-I could see you again and—“

“Shh, don’t speak right now just get some rest—“ Levi couldn’t finish as Eren reached up to grab Levi’s face and pulled him down to himself, smashing their lips together in a needy, desperate kiss. 

The king didn’t understand how Eren could still be so strong after what had just happened but his grip was as firm as ever and his determination was at max level. The two pulled away from each other after a few tender moments and Levi couldn’t ignore the look in Eren’s eyes.

“Levi, I was fucking terrified. You have no idea. I thought I was going to die and all I could think about was not being able to say good bye to Christa and my family... but most importantly that I wouldn’t be able to say good bye to you and I also wouldn’t be able to tell you...” Eren hesitated and the king frowned slightly, rubbing small circles on boy’s cheeks with his thumbs in what the king hoped to be a soothing gesture.

Taking a deep breath, Eren out his hands on Levi’s to still them before speaking. Looking each other straight in the eyes, Eren spoke.

“Levi, I think I may love you... Or something like that...”

What did he just say? The king must not have heard that right. There’s no way Eren, the damn brat that outwardly repeated that he would never be romantically invested in someone, just confessed his love to a cranky king.

“Let me explain something.” Eren said quickly upon seeing Levi’s reaction. “I’ve never felt anything like I do around you and I don’t know if that’s love or whatever but I’m assuming it’s the closest thing and.. Fuck... almost dying... I wanted to tell you that now just in case. You don’t have to say anything back I just... I needed to tell you.” Eren hurriedly tried to explain and despite Levi’s shock, he understood what the boy meant.

So the king smirked at the boy and gently placed a kiss on his lips. “Yeah, I get it. I’ll tell you that too when I’m ready...” The king felt his heart flutter when he saw Eren smile the most gorgeous grin he had ever seen on the boy.

His face was framed with his unruly brown locks and he was covered in blue blood but his eyes shone so purely and his smile was so wide and genuine... The king thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest.

“Let’s get back to the base, brat.”

***

Levi had to carry him back to camp, his legs not being able to support his weight and after much convincing, Eren finally gave in and just let Levi carry him. Although, the king could have chosen a more dignified position to carry the prince in, being carried as a bride definitely did not suit Eren.

The brat didn’t complain, however, as he was too tired and too comfortable in Levi’s arms to even bother putting up a fight and instead just allowed himself to be carried away. Snuggling his face into Levi’s chest, Eren inhaled the king’s scent and felt himself at ease. He was safe now, he was alive.

“I love you...” Eren mumbled as he felt his eyes shut and his breathing slowed as he entered unconsciousness.

Levi looked down at the boy in his arms. He really did care for Eren. He couldn’t even list all the things that made him wonderful but there was still that one thing holding the king back from confessing his love to the prince. There was no way he could stay with someone who wouldn’t even tell him the truth about who he was. It made Levi feel sick, him possibly only being attracted to a false character if Eren really was faking everything about himself. Hell, Eren wasn’t even his real name. For all Levi knew, Valor could be the complete opposite as Eren, the boy only playing a role for now until he achieved whatever it was he was trying to gain. Levi sighed and he felt his heart start to clench at the thought, watching Eren cuddle up against his chest. There’s no way this was all fake. It just couldn’t be. Levi prayed he wasn’t just wishfully thinking.

***

Setting the prince down on his cot, Levi tucked Eren in and wrapped the covers around him before standing up and leaving the tent to deal with the latest problem.

The soldiers had set up a fire since no one was really going to sleep after today’s events and many were cleaning up the bodies and blood that had been left behind, grieving silently over the loss of their comrades. Levi had ordered someone to complete a death list and a soldier rushed up to him to give him a small piece of paper with only five names on it. Thanking him, Levi inspected the names and sighed. They lost five people on a trip where no one was expected to die. Their luck could honestly not get any worse. 

After memorizing the names, grieving a little himself for he had talked to these soldiers before and gotten to know them pretty well, he folded the paper and shoved it in his breadt pocket before going towards the fire where two figures were seated on a log.

Scowling at how dirty the bark was, Levi told himself how he was filthy too after not being able to shower after the monster fiasco, so he manned up and sat on the dirty, makeshift seat.

“Did you get it out of her or am I going to have to personally interrogate her?” Levi asked, looking over at the two figures, the shortest one closest to him on his left and the larger one sitting on the other side of the short one.

“I got what I needed. I just think you should personally ask her.” Erwin said as he looked down at his daughter, Christa visibly shrinking into herself as she was addressed.

Fire illuminated their faces so Levi could perfectly see the small tears in Christa’s eyes. She hadn’t even seen Eren since he was being chased.

“For one: Eren’s fine.” Levi said, resting a hand on Christa’s shoulders. The blond girl abruptly looked up at the king with wide eyes.

“H-he is? You’re sure?” Big, blue eyes shone with relief as Levi nodded his head and the girl sighed, a small smile forming on her face. “I’m so happy...”

“Don’t get too happy.” Levi said as he removed his hand and got serious. “Why the hell are you here Christa? We thought we left you safe and sound in Rose but here you are. How’d you get here and why the hell did you think disobeying not only your father but your king was a good idea?” 

The girl looked scared, sorry and determined all at the same time, similar to the expression Eren sometimes wore. It made Levi try to soften his demeanour.

“I... I knew I wouldn’t see Eren again after he returned to Maria... So I wanted to stay with him a bit longer but I also knew that you wouldn’t let me come with you no matter how much I begged. So when you were talking to Eren just before you left I snook onto a supply cart. I don’t think you would’ve found me either if that monster hadn’t... knocked over the cart I was in... I-I thought I was going to di—“ Christa cut herself off as she remembered the horrifying ordeal, remembering how the monster had easily torn through the limbs of other soldiers and how she could’ve ended up the same had she not been saved by Levi and Eren. She blamed herself for Eren being chased as well, if she hadn’t come then the prince wouldn’t have needed to get involved or had to lure the monster away from the camp, it was all her fault that he was in his current condition.

Shaking his head, Levi gently patted the top of Christa’s and offered a small smile to the girl. “You know, you weren’t wrong with your reasons on coming. If you had told me all of that, I would’ve let you come with us.” Christa’s eyes widened.

“You would’ve let me come anyways?”

“Yeah. Even if it was a short time, we both got really attached to Eren. And we both realize that he won’t be coming back to Rose with us so, yeah. I would’ve let you come.”

Christa smiled up at Levi, admiring her king even more than she already did. It made her feel happy, realizing she had such a sympathetic king who could relate with her even though she was only a child. 

“Thanks, Levi.” Christa said as she wrapped her arms around the man’s waist. Returning the small gesture with an arm around her shoulders, Levi felt his heart start to thump in his chest. Why did making brats happy make him feel like this? Whatever, he wouldn’t question it for now but all Levi knew was that he was getting too soft.

Erwin watched his daughter and his friend interact. He had always known Levi was a kind person, having saved people from the underground, creating Rose, helping his citizens by putting his own life on the line. The king was a selfless person. Another thing Erwin knew was that Levi hated liars, he absolutely despised those that would readily lie to his face in order to gain his trust. In the underground the king had to choose those he trusted wisely and of course he had been betrayed far too many times. Erwin had seen Levi be hurt so many times due to being double crossed. So when the soldier saw Levi so happy with Eren, it made Erwin’s heart ache for his friend. He knew the king wasn’t stupid, Levi already obviously knew about Eren’s secret but what Erwin couldn’t wrap his head around was why the raven haired man was still dating Eren. The soldier thought that as soon as Levi had found out, so since the first time they met, that the king would distance himself from the lying prince but that hadn’t been the case. Levi was as close as ever with Eren and the blonde man didn’t know what to think. He hadn’t a clue what Levi was up to but he was sure that it would lead to nothing but heartbreak for both men in the end.

***

“So another one was killed? I’m starting to doubt your ability of making an indestructible monster, professor.” Nile said as he smiled wickedly at the shaking man before him. Mina’s brother, what was his name again? Ah, yes. Marco. 

The chains around the freckled man’s arms and legs rattled loudly as he started to struggle in the seat he was bound to, fear in his eyes.

“I have done what you’ve wanted me to do up until now. I’ve pretended to die in order for Mina to become stronger and accept the role as a queen, I created a horrible monster that can tear anyone to shreds if it came to that and I even managed to track down Eren with the cameras I’ve placed on various monsters that roam the forests. So why the hell am I tied up now?! You and I had an agreement and I’ve kept my end of the bargain!” Marco spat as he glared at the despicable rat before him known as Nile. This man, the boy hated to trust someone like him but he didn’t have a choice. Ever since Marco and Mina’s parents had died Nile had been the one to take care of them and give them anything they could ever want. But there was a price for his kindness. If the two were to join Nile and his Titan gang, they were going to need a figure head, someone that other people would want to look up to so that instead of being a bandit group, Titan could evolve into an actual kingdom where those who had no where to go could come to them with open arms, much like what Rose had done. Except Titan was lying. Marco realized this now. In fact, he had probably known it from the beginning when Nile had asked him to fake his own death so his sister would accept the role as queen. She couldn’t become their leader if she still had her brother and only cared for him, so, like an idiot, Marco agreed because at the time he thought it made sense. He realized now that that was not the case. And now here the boy was: in an underground cellar being forced to work for Nile in secret in fear that the bandit would kill him or even Mina if he didn’t do as he was told.

“You didn’t follow the instructions.” Nile said calmly once Marco was done speaking. “I told you to deliver an indestructible being that will listen to my every command. You succeeded in giving it intelligence, I’ll give you that much. Now I can clearly tell the monster not to kill Valor but that’s only if the monster has clear view of a person’s face. That was demonstrated today when the damn beast almost killed the prince when his face wasn’t visible. So that needs to be worked on but also the fact that the wannabe king, Levi or whatever, was able to kill yet another creature. It’s always due to a wound inflicted on the nape of the neck. Why is that, Marco?”

The freckled man scowled but eventually gave up and hung his head, ashamed. “I can’t create a being that doesn’t have a weakness. It’s like stitching a doll... You can’t just sew up a doll and expect the ending of the stitch to not unravel. Sure, you can tie it with knots, hide the end of the string in the doll or even sew over the ending a bunch more times to make it more secure but it’s inevitable: someone just needs to pull on the end of the thread and the doll will eventually become undone. In this case, the nape of my monster’s neck is its weak spot. I created its body, mended various pieces of flesh together and created a system of organs to make it the best it can be but the spot where I sewed it up last was the nape, the spot that would be least likely to be targeted by an enemy.” Marco finished and when he looked up, he saw the sole of a boot come flying at his face before his felt his nose crack and feel the floor slam beneath his back.

Having the wind suddenly knocked out of him, Marco gagged and coughed up blood as he tried to regulate his breathing, all the while Nile was recovering from his kick as he readjusted his boot.

“I don’t like excuses, I just want the job done. If that damn bastard king manages to kill another one of my pets I will see to it that Mina will never become a queen and I’ll take immense satisfaction in torturing her while you watch from the sidelines, helpless and unable to save your beloved sister.” Nile finished and he glared down at Marco. “Do you understand?”

Having gotten his breath back, Marco felt helpless under the stare of his captor and nodded, defeated.

“I understand.”

Smirking, Nile didn’t bother saying anything else as he nodded to the two bandits guarding the door as he took his leave. As he ascended the steps, the bandit leader gave himself a lopsided smile as he listened to Marco scream before the iron door shut with a screech, and all that was left was silence.

***

When Eren woke up he was surrounded by dark oak walls and a dark ceiling covering his head. Out of his peripheral he could see a person sitting next to whoever’s bed he was in and in the distance he could hear children shouting and playing. Something smelled good as well, possibly a roast or stew of some kind. It made the prince aware of how hungry he really was and that’s when all his memories came flooding back to him. 

Eren remembered the horrible creature that had almost killed him, he remembered Levi carrying him back to camp and tucking him into his cot, he remembered losing consciousness and now... where was he?

Turning his head to the left, Eren was surprised to see a sleeping Christa curled up on a chair beside him, a small dribble of drool rolling down her chin. That’s right, he still didn’t know how Christa ended up at the camp but he was kind of glad? She was one of Eren’s only friends and despite her age, she was very wise and someone who’s prescience he really enjoyed.

Reaching to the young girl’s face, Eren wiped the drool away but as he did so, Christa began to stir. Her eyes opened and revealed blue orbs, sparkling with tears as she yawned. It took her a few moments to blink and get the sleep out of her eyes before she looked over at Eren and very slowly her mouth morphed into a wide grin.

“You’re up finally!” Christa happily exclaimed as she got off her chair to jump into Eren’s bed, the prince giggling as she crawled her way under the covers to snuggle up against Eren’s side. “Ahhh... warm.” The girl said happily as Eren draped an arm over her waist.

“Well now that you’ve made yourself comfy, wanna tell me where we are?” Eren asked and Christa looked up at him and nodded.

“Yeah, we’re in Faust. It’s the village that doesn’t have any leaders, remember? Surprisingly, things are pretty organized here but Levi still wants to make our stay as brief as possible. We’ve been here for about a day waiting for you to wake up.”

“Ah... I see, thanks. Now, before I grill you about how you got here yourself, is Levi and everyone still okay?” Eren asked.

Christa hesitated before responding. “There were a lot of wounded soldiers and some even died because of that monster... but Levi and my dad are okay... everyone else... they’re grieving, obviously, but I guess that’s just how things go... expeditions are unexpected and... yeah.” Christa trailed off, losing her own thoughts upon remembering seeing those poor soldiers ripped to shreds in front of her. She still obviously hadn’t recovered from that trauma.

“I’m sorry for making you remember that...” Eren gave his apology, silently mourning the deaths of the soldiers that sacrificed their lives to get him back to his home.

“Eren?” Christa asked, bringing the prince back to attention.

What is it?”

“I just... why are you going back to Maria? Why couldn’t you have stayed back at Rose and waited for Levi to return?” Christa asked and Eren didn’t know what to say so he just started to speak.

“Well... The main reason I wanted to go back home was because I heard Titan was going to try and form and alliance with Maria and...my family is still there. I wanted to try to stop the alliance from forming or at least warn my family.” Eren half lied, the tips of his ears going red. Christa glared at Eren and pointed at her own ears as a hint to the prince.

“I know you’re lying. Levi told me your ears go red when you lie. Tell me the truth, Eren. I want to know more about you and your life. You’re real life.”

The prince sighed. “Yeah, I figured I wouldn’t be able to lie that long before someone caught onto my ears. My mother always said I was an open book because of them.”

“So? What’s really going on?” Christa asked as he stared up with Eren and pinned him down with her stare. 

“I... I’m the prince of Maria, the one that went missing: Valor.”

The room was so silent Eren could hear his heart thumping loudly in his chest as his mind started to race as he thought over what he had just said. He really told her, huh? His big secret was out now and he didn’t know how she would react.

“It would be a lie to say I was totally caught off guard, to be honest.” Christa started once she had thought some things over. “Like, there were a lot of coincidences between you and the prince... too many. I think I knew you were secretly the prince all along but I just... Chose not to believe it, maybe.” Eren didn’t know how to respond. Had he really been that obvious? Did everyone know already? Did Levi know?

“Don’t give me that look.” Christa said, hugging Eren tighter. “I’m pretty sure most people know... But if you tell them now they’ll probably understand. Just be honest Eren, that’s all we want is for you to be honest with us and to trust us... I’m glad you trusted me enough to tell me.”

Eren didn’t know why but it felt as though a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. He had managed to tell Christa his biggest secret and she was okay with it. She didn’t threaten to expose him or anything she just... accepted him. Feeling tears enter his eyes Eren tried his best not to cry but he couldn’t help but let a few tears shed as he hugged Christa.

“I was scared Levi or someone would make me go back to Maria if you knew who I really was... I-I didn’t know if I should tell you all or not... I’m sorry...” Christa didn’t say anything as she rubbed Eren’s back and let the man cry out his frustrations until he dozed back off. The young girl held Eren even still as she felt her heart ache at what he must have gone through. Trying to escape the life of a prince, trying to find somewhere he could belong as a person he wanted to be, making sure his real identity was hidden away from others... And on top of that: trying to maintain a relationship even though it was built up on a lie. Christa knew Levi wouldn’t like that, in fact she knew her king hated liars and had seen many banished. But if it was Eren and if he told him soon, she figured the king would make an exception and forgive Eren.

The prince was too lovable, after all.

***

Originally, Levi thought this village would be in a state of complete anarchy, given there were no leaders who could run the population. The king thought the people would all be in bad conditions, the houses would be torn up and not maintained properly and lastly Levi didn’t think that the village would clean. Well, the king of Rose was mistaken.

After their camp was attacked, Levi wanted to get the hell out of the forest right away. Eren still hadn’t woken up and the more Levi thought about the boy never waking up again, the more frantic he became so he decided that they did, indeed, need to stop by this town and get Eren proper medical attention.

Taking approximately two days to make it to their destination, the king feared for the worst when coming here but really, he was completely wrong.

The village was very peaceful, with people running their own shops and own lives, just not under the rule of a king or queen. Instead they let the lands rule them and that was partly why they didn’t have a real name for their village, giving it the name “Faust” as a nickname of sorts after a man named Faust “discovered” this land. Still very weird to Levi but to each their own, he supposed. As long as none of his people were hurt and they could get the aid they needed he was fine.

Speaking of aid, the village doctor had taken Eren into his clinic so he could properly examine him and to Levi’s relief, Eren had just used up far too much energy during the one encounter with the... creature. So he was now currently resting in the inn with Christa until he wakes up, was rejuvenated and can continue on their way to Maria. 

It had only been an hour since Levi last checked on his lover but he couldn’t help it, thinking that something could go horribly wrong with Eren at any moment kept scaring the king so he started walking down the gravel path towards the inn for about the sixth time that day. By now the old woman who ran the beautiful building was pretty well acquainted with the king, having managed to make small chat with the stoic man and starting to understand why he kept coming to visit Eren so often. Levi had told the woman that the prince was his cousin but he knew the lady wasn’t buying it, so he let her believe whatever she wanted to. Whatever it was, she was probably right though, judging by the way she giggled at Levi whenever he talked about Eren. Something about her really reminded him of Hanji.

Approaching the doors to the brick building, Levi let himself inside as the door squeaked open, alerting the old woman of Levi’s presence.

“Sorry for coming in again.” Levi apologized as he walked up to the front counter where a steaming pot of tea was waiting for him. Raising an eyebrow, he looked at the lady with a questioning look.

“It’s Earl Grey, something earthy and soothing to calm your mind. I figured you’d need something to help with your nerves about your... ‘cousin’.” The way she said the last word made Levi wince as he had no doubt in his mind now that the woman knew exactly what kind of relationship he and Eren had. Originally wanting to keep the relationship a secret while travelling, Levi couldn’t bring himself to care anymore as he sighed and sat at the tall chair that was seated against the main counter, having to stand on his tiptoes to take a seat on it. The woman gave the king an amused look while the raven shot her a glare that would have frightened any sane person, but the woman just gave a hearty laugh and set down a beautiful teacup that had pale, blue floral decorations around the rim and handle of the cup. It was gorgeous, Levi had to admit as he let the old woman poor him a cup of Earl Grey tea.

He also had to admit, it wasn’t his most preferred tea, possibly because he hadn’t had it too many times... Or it could’ve been due to the fact that it smelled maybe too earthy, it reminded him of the slums almost. The smell of roots and dirt... It almost felt filthy to Levi. Not wanting to be rude, however, the king gladly took the teacup by the rim in his unusual posture and took a sip. He felt the hot liquid scald his tongue and burn down his throat but it was quite pleasant, actually. The woman had been right, it was very calming and the taste brought back some decent memories. Maybe he’d start drinking Earl Grey more.

“That little blonde girl, Christa,was it? She came down earlier and told me that boy had woken up for about fifteen minutes before he fell asleep again. I took his temperature, gave him fluids, all of that so he should be fine... But.”

The ‘but’ made Levi freeze as he almost lost grip of the fragile cup he was holding. “But what?” He asked hurriedly.

“But it looked as if he had been crying. His eyes were red and puffy, tears were drying on his face. Let me tell you, that boy has a good face but when there’s tears all over it, ugh, definitely not his look.” Not knowing whether to be offended, worried or amused by what the woman said, Levi settled on a short shrug.

“I’ll have to ask him why later... thanks for telling me.”

Sitting in a silence, Levi continued to drink his tea while the inn keeper continued with whatever activities she had been doing before. They stayed like that in peace for a few moments before they could hear the shuffling of footsteps on the floorboards above their heads and voices muffled by the layers of wood between the floors.

“Looks like he’s up.” The lady said with surprise as both Levi and her turned their heads to the staircase where’d they first saw two pairs of feet come descending down and then two bodies.

Christa was visible first, holding someone’s hand while looking up and smiling at whoever the owner of hand was. As soon as her eyes landed on Levi, she started to smile even wider and looked back up at the figure who’s face had yet to appear from the stairway.

Setting down his cup, Levi got up from his seat as he watched Eren come down the stairs and his face was revealed, beautiful, green orbs landing on Levi’s grey ones as they made eye contact and held each other’s stares.

The small smile on Eren’s face morphed into one of relief and happiness as he dropped Christa’s hand at the bottom of the stairs and practically ran towards Levi as the prince’s arms wrapped around the raven’s neck. Levi let his own limbs encircle Eren’s waist as they hugged each other closely and tightly, neither ready to let go as they just felt each other. There were no words exchanged as they embraced each other, only letting the contact do the talking for them but both man understood. Their hug was so desperate, it spoke so many more words than a mouth could make sense of. The smell of the other, the longing to the one they liked... everything was expressed through their hug.

As if Levi had forgotten they had an audience, he gently pulled himself away from the hug enough to stand up on his tip toes to place a kiss on Eren’s gorgeous lips that were slightly chapped but still so soft. Feeling the prince tense up, Levi was about to stop his assault when the brunette kissed him back, deepening their passionate kiss. It didn’t last long and it was needy, desperate, but it still gave the boys comfort as they pulled away from each other, Eren resting his forehead against Levi’s and closing his eyes. 

“Glad you finally woke up, brat.” Levi said softly with a faint smile on his face. The king was glad Eren’s eyes were closed, he didn’t want the man to see him in such a vulnerable state. Having been fretting over the brunette’s health for a days had certainly taken its toll on the king.

“Glad to be back...” Eren mumbled into Levi’s shoulder as they stayed there in a peaceful silence before the old woman, who had long been forgotten along with Christa, spoke up.

“How cute, I didn’t know you were so open with your relationship.” Amusement was all too obvious in her voice and Levi really wanted to tell her to shut up but he held his tongue in order to hug Eren a few moments more before releasing him.

Eren was blushing as the two parted and he quickly muttered an apology to the inn keeper as he approached her to shake the woman’s hand.

“M-my name’s Eren, thank you for letting me stay here.” The brunette said quickly as he watched the lady observe him closely.

“It’s not a problem, young one. Around here we don’t get many visitors so this was very nice, yes it was.” Suddenly the woman’s eyes squinted and she pulled Eren closer to her. Levi tensed up at the action, ready to intervene if necessary but Eren threw him a lopsided smile to try and reassure his protective lover that he was okay, just startled.

The woman seemed to be searching for something and then her eyes suddenly widened as if she had found what she had been looking for.

“Oh my... You... You’re from Maria, are you?” Not knowing where the old lady was going with this, Eren nodded his head in confirmation.

“Yes, actually. I was born and raised in Maria.”

“My gosh... you look so much like the king, Grisha. Ah, let me explain.” She said upon the confused look on Eren’s face. “I was also born in Maria and I stayed there until I was in my late thirties. While I was there, however, I was hired as a care taker for the king’s son at the time, Grisha. He was such a bright little boy, always talking about adventure and the sea. That boy, he got into so much trouble, you know? I had my hands so full with him... But anyways, my point is that you look a lot like him. Same face, same hair, same eyes. I don’t know how you aren’t related in some way.”

The room went deathly silent as Christa avoided all eye contact and Eren didn’t want to meet Levi’s eyes. Instead, the prince focused on the old woman’s smiling face until she began to read the air in the room herself. 

“Oh my, did I say something wrong? I didn’t mean to offend you, sir, I really didn’t—“

“It’s nothing.” Eren forced a smile on his face as he took the old woman’s hand and kissed the back of it. “I just thought you looked so young so it shocked me that you had been there to see my King grow up. It’s quite amazing, really.” The lady laughed and blushed at Eren’s actions but out of the corner of the boy’s eye, he could see Levi with his arms crossed over his chest, just staring him down.

Shit.

As Eren straightened his back, the woman went back to talking, trying to make small talk before her guests left her to the quiet she was usually in.

“If you all are heading to Maria, I must warn you... Things have been getting dangerous there lately.” The woman sounded genuinely scared and this made Eren’s heart drop to his stomach.

“What makes you say that?” Eren asked quickly, desperate for an answer. The woman had flinched at his suddenly harsh tone and the prince quickly mumbled an apology. The lady must have accepted it because what she told them next made Eren want to run to Maria right that instant.

“People... have been going missing, recently. I’ve only managed to get bits and pieces of information from travelling merchants but apparently ever since Maria had agreed to form an alliance with the group Titan, Marian people have been going missing upon entering the woods. Children will be playing in the shallow areas of the forest and then when their mothers call them for dinner... they never return. Lumberjacks as well, they venture into the woods to chop some wood and just never return to their jobs the next day. People are getting so scared... Many of the Marians are thinking of moving.” 

No one said anything as Eren tried to digest what he was hearing but he just couldn’t. His mind was a tangle of thoughts that just kept getting messier the more he tried to focus on one. The only things that clearly stood out to him was guilt.

He felt guilty for leaving, for not being a responsible prince who was going to be their king. He had abandoned his people and for what? To be free and find a lover? The thought made Eren sick as he thought about how selfish he had been. He ran away from his responsibilities as a prince and now he had to pay the consequences with his people. He didn’t want this. He had to return and get to the bottom of these disappearances immediately.

“...Thank you for the information.” Eren said as he kissed the woman’s cheek and quickly ran outside, not bothering to wait for Levi or Christa.

Thanking the woman themselves, Christa quickly ran out of the building behind Eren with Levi right on her heel.

“Eren! Eren stop!” Levi called, jogging to catch up to the boy.

Mumbling to himself, Eren didn’t stop or even slow down his pace, instead jogging faster to where the horses were.

“Eren!” Levi hissed as he finally snatched Eren’s arm in his hand and pulled he boy to a complete stop, very nearly ripping the prince’s arm from his socket.

“What?!” Eren yelled, the king having finally drawn a reaction from the boy. Instantly regretting his tone as soon as he saw Levi’s glare, Eren averted eye contact and looked to the side where the woods lay, waiting. “Just... what?”

“Don’t you fucking dare ask me ‘what’ after all that went down.” Levi hissed, gripping Eren’s arm tighter, making the man grunt in pain. “You can’t expect me to not question anything after all that shit that lady said. Eren, I need you to be honest with me. What’s happening and what the hell are you planning to do?”

Eren didn’t know what to think, he pretty much knew his lie was over at this point, but maybe if he gave it effort, it may actually work? Could he still keep up his lie? 

“Levi... just... Fuck. Look.” Eren started as he pulled his arm away from the king and ran his hand through his already messed up hair. “Just... I need to get back to Maria, like right now. I know most of the people in the kingdom, majority are really good people that I’ve talked to on a day to day basis and the fact that there are so many going missing... I can’t just do nothing. I need to go back and see what I can do to help.”

“I can appreciate that, Eren, but you’re not answering my question entirely. The woman, she said you looked a lot like the current king. With that on top of the coincidence of both you and the prince running away... is it really a coincidence, Eren?” Levi finally did it. He was finally giving Eren his final chance to come out with everything, come out with his stupid lie and hopefully make things right between them. Silently asking... no, begging Eren to just be honest, Levi felt his hands begin to shake in a mix of anger and nervousness and he watched as Eren eyed his fists.

“Levi, I get that you’re probably confused right now and that must make you angry but... Just listen to me...” Eren took a deep breath before speaking again. “I’m... not who you think I am.”

Levi’s eyes widened as he realized what Eren was about to do and it made his heart start to thank the Eternal Goddess. Eren was finally, finally going to be truthful about his identity. Not even daring to breathe, the king watched the boy’s face closely.

“Everything I’ve done and said so far is because it kept me around you, just remember that.” Sighing, Eren didn’t even manage to get out one word before they heard a scream coming from the forest and the roar of a creature that was becoming all too familiar.

Cursing, Eren drew his sword as he ran to the horses and hopped onto his own, Levi not far behind with his steed as they both raced toward the screaming. It wasn’t long until they could see the head of the creature making the hideous noises peeking out from over the top of the trees, flinging branches and logs in every direction it turned to.

Levi immediately spotted a young woman hiding behind a tree just out of the monster’s view but from where the king was, he could see her perfectly. He saw her golden hair covered in blood, her dress a deep shade of red, the original colour no longer being recognizable. If that was all hers, it was a miracle she was even screaming.

Eren felt like he wanted to puke at the sight, his heart thumping loudly against his chest as his vision got slightly blurry but he forced himself to be alert, urging his horse to go faster towards the monster. It was about fifty feet from the woman that they saw... whatever was left of a boy, possibly no more than fifteen judging by the length of the limbs that were discarded about, having been thrown to different areas of the surrounding lands.

This made Levi’s blood boil as his gaze focused back on the woman who had tears rolling down her cheeks and her screams were those of agony and pain. It felt as though they were going through his soul, wanting to paralyze him and make him suffer just as much as she was.

“Fuck...Eren! Get the girl and get her back to the village! I’ll go after the monster!” Levi shouted towards Eren who looked like he wanted to object but didn’t say anything as he made his steed start to veer towards the woman while Levi made his own horse run straight towards the creature. Taking a deep breath, Levi watched the creature’s gaze shift onto him and he knew he had to time everything perfectly in order to survive, yet again, another attack from one of these ugly creatures.

***

Levi frowned as he wiped blood off his face, the massive carcass next to himself starting to evaporate into foul smelling steam. He didn’t know what the hell these creatures were, but they just kept getting weirder and weirder with each encounter. Hopefully the king would stop seeing them so often.

Having successfully defeated the monster, Levi tucked his sword away and sighed, realizing his horse had yet to return from where ever it had gone to hide. She would come back though, she always made sure to retrieve Levi after the dirty work was done.

However, after waiting five minutes, Levi was starting to doubt his horse returning when he heard neighing in the distance. Following the sound, the king found his horse on top of a hill where it was looking down at something.

Levi climbed up the hill and took his horse’s reins but the insistent neighing made him look down the cliff and onto the meadow below. It was gorgeous, Levi had to admit but the horse kept neighing and the king finally understood why when he spotted a person riding a horse that... looked very similar to Eren. They were heading right towards Maria all that distance below.

Feeling his heart drop to his stomach, Levi jumped onto his horse and urged her to get back to the village quickly.

Upon his arrival, the king was greeted with people running in every direction, most panicking as soldiers tried to help calm them but to no avail.

The blonde lady he had seen before was still screaming but that meant Eren had come back to the village and managed to get the woman here safe and sound so... where was he?

Turning towards the inn, Levi could see Christa sitting on the front steps of the building and all he had to do was look at Christa’s face to understand what had happened.

They made eye contact and Levi wanted to punch something when he saw the tears in her eyes. The king didn’t even need Christa to tell him but she did anyways.

“He left.”

***

Eren couldn’t wait, he couldn’t allow a team of people to hold him back from where he had to go. Titans showing up, people disappearing... Fuck! How could he have been so stupid to not go back as soon as he heard things were amiss in Maria?! Cursing himself, Eren snapped the reins on his horse, wanting her to go even faster but the prince knew his steed was at her limit. By this time the sun had already gone down and the forest was illuminated only by the moon which shone wickedly in the night sky. 

Feeling his eyes begin to droop, Eren could only slap himself to stay awake and focus on his family as he continued to recklessly ride through the forest despite the dangers.

He needed to get back to his family though, he needed to find and way to help them through whatever the hell was happening.

Even if that meant he had to leave Christa and Levi... Even if it meant he couldn’t tell Levi the truth. It was a sacrifice he had to make in order to, for once, be a responsible prince and take care of his kingdom properly.

It was time to give up his freedom.

***

“Fuck...” Reiner mumbled as he looked at the paper Mikasa had handed him. Six more missing people cases. There were so many now, at this rate Reiner didn’t know if there’d be anyone left in Maria by the end of the month.

“Not only that but three more families have decided to move out of the kingdom.” Armin said tiredly, tossing the documents he was reading on the coffee table before him before pulling off his glasses and rubbing his eyes tiredly. It was pretty exhausting to see how many people were disappearing after having known them for all of their lives.

“There’s nothing we can do.” Mikasa sighed. “We can’t do anything about the missing people until we know what creature or group is behind it and we can’t stop people from leaving if we don’t have answers. We... shit.” Mikasa buried her face in her hands, squeezing her eyes shut. “We need Eren...” She mumbled, just wishing for her brother to be by her side so they could figure out all this shit together instead of just by herself. Sure, Armin was here and all but their trio wasn’t complete without Eren, he was like their heart and soul and with just them two, there really wasn’t a group but two individuals who didn’t know how to continue on together. They needed a bonding force only Eren could provide. But he wasn’t here.

“I would’ve thought he’d be back by now if he heard all this news.” Armin commented as he looked up at Annie who was sitting across from the blonde, inspecting the papers Armin had just been reading himself. Annie couldn’t provide him anything but a shrug as she let out her own sigh. 

“Things have gone to shit, you really think Eren would come back if the kingdom was already in anarchy?” The way the blonde spat out her words made Armin understand how angry she really was and he let out a soft laugh. 

“Eren may be many things but he isn’t a traitor or that shallow. If anything, I’d expect him to give up his pride and freedom in order to make things right here. Despite how little time he spends in Maria, he really does care for this kingdom and he’d hate if anything happened to it... just like now...” Mikasa finished and room was silent. Everyone knew she was right, they were all just stressed out right now and the easiest person to blame was Eren at this moment, not being there to defend himself after all.

“It’s late.” Armin commented as he finally looked up at the grandfather clock sitting in the corner of the room next to the fireplace which had been blazing for the majority of night. It was a little past three in the morning and the group all had bags under their eyes.

Annie was about to fall asleep in Bert’s lap as the taller one kept assessing papers, Reiner was finishing up with his workload, Armin looked like he could keep going for hours and Mikasa... She was just tired. Tired of seeing Carla and Grisha fighting since Eren left, tired of fearing for her brother and tired of having to basically take care of an entire kingdom that was falling apart. The king and queen were too distracted right now, they couldn’t get things done adequately so naturally their adopted daughter and Armin decided to take things upon themselves but at this rate, the two were going to be burned out.

“...I’m going to get some fresh air for a bit.” Mikasa said as she got up to leave but someone grabbed her hand to stop her. Turning around, she saw Reiner stand up as he released his grip on her.

“It’s dangerous in Maria now. We don’t know who’s friend or foe now that the Titans are here so let me come with you just in case.” Mikasa knew this was a reasonable request. It would be safer if they travelled in pairs from now on in case anything happened but even still, the raven couldn’t help but feel slightly offended by the man.

“I can take care of myself. I could kick yours and anyone else’s ass.” Mikasa scowled, turning her back on the man to take her leave but she could hear him following her. Whatever, she’d let him do what he wanted.

Once the two left the room, that was when Reiner spoke.

“Are you angry at me because I didn’t bring Eren home?”

Pausing in her spot, Mikasa didn’t know how to respond as Reiner just continued walking ahead of her, no regret showing on his face.

“...Yeah. Maybe.” Was all she said as she started walking once more.

“That’s fine. You must know why I did it though, so tell me... Would you have done the same in my situation?”

Not replying, Mikasa looked to her left where giant glass windows were only half covered by deep red drapes, allowing spots of the setting moon’s rays through. It was gorgeous, Mikasa had to admit. But just how many people had gone missing that night despite her putting more guards around the kingdom’s perimeter? How many children had disappeared despite all her announcements that parents should make their children stay indoors? How many more people... have decided to leave Maria because the royal family couldn’t keep their people safe? The thoughts inside Mikasa’s head made her want to cry and scream all at the same time. So when seeing Reiner staring at her from over his shoulder expectantly, she finally answered him. 

“Yeah.” There’s no way Mikasa wanted Eren to go through something like this. 

***

The two had made it down to the garden where flowers of all different kinds grew and prospered. This was Mikasa’s favourite place as she admired a blue orchid sitting beside red and yellow ones. Her biological mother’s favourite flower. She remembered telling Eren this and he had wasted no time telling as many maids as he could to buy and install an entire orchid patch just for her. It made the raven smile fondly to herself as she let her gaze linger upon the fragile beings.

Reiner watched his princess exam the flowers and once he was bored he looked up at the moon and sighed. He just wanted Eren to comeback now, honestly. The kingdom was on the verge of ruins, the royal family was about to go insane and everyone just genuinely missed their prince. They needed him back.

“Do you think he’ll actually come home?” Reiner thought someone else had joined the two when he heard the tired and broken voice that spoke but when he looked at Mikasa, he was amazed to find that it was actually her.

For the first time in his life, the blonde man saw Mikasa start to break apart as she looked at him, almost pleading with her eyes, to make Eren come home. She was just a tired, emotionally exhausted woman, human like everyone else at the end of the day despite the front she put up.

The scene before him was just too much, he couldn’t take it anymore. “...I-I’ll tell you where Eren is.”

Her eyes widening, Mikasa looked like her spirit had brightened for once ever since Eren had left. “Where? Where is he?”

“He’s—“ Before Reiner could finish, a figure in a cloak jumped down from the hedge the two were beside. Ready for a fight, Mikasa pulled out a small dagger hidden in her sleeve and Reiner was about the draw his sword when the hooded man spoke. 

“He’s right here.” Was all the figure said as he lifted a hand to pull his hood down and once his eyes were revealed, Reiner wanted to cry with joy.

The most beautiful sea foam coloured irises he had fallen in love with eons ago were finally back where they belonged.

“Eren...” Mikasa breathed as she took in her brother’s sudden appearance, her brain not being able to catch up or process the information. No way was he really here, was she just seeing things?

“Hey, Mika.” Eren offered a small smile as he opened his arms for her and she suddenly snapped out of her trance as she ran into his arms, dropping her weapon on the ground as she did so. 

She shoved her face into the crook of his neck and took in his natural forest smell while wrapping her arms around his waist, pulling their bodies flush against each other. She felt the muscles on his back move as he closed his own arms around her and the fact that he was physically beside her made tears start to swim in Mikasa’s eyes. He was finally home. Her saviour was finally back to save her once again.

“Welcome home, Eren.” The raven laughed softly as the prince smiled and hugged the woman tighter.

“Thank you...” After saying that, Eren looked up at Reiner and the blonde gave his prince a small nod and a smile of his own. 

Despite the consequences, Eren was still willing to come back to his kingdom to help clear up all this shit. That’s probably why Reiner loved the man so much, because he was willing to do anything it took to keep those he cared for happy and safe, even if it was at his own expense.

***

Christa didn’t know what to think anymore as she leaned her back against her dad’s stomach, her back beginning to get sore as she had been riding on a horse for easily six hours. Now she understood why old ladies complained about it so often. Anyways, that wasn’t why she was confused. Her head was in a jumble because she didn’t know what to think of Eren anymore. So much had happened in such a short amount of time... She had to recall everything again.

So Eren shows up in Rose out of no where, he makes everyone in Rose fall in love with him but he’s been lying about who he was this entire time, even to Levi who became his lover. After finding out his kingdom was in danger, Levi and Eren with some others go on a trip to Maria but things go askew. The brunette ended up only telling her who he really is just a day previous along the trip and he tried to explain to her the best he could why he did what he did but now... He ran away. Without telling Levi what his real identity was.

Christa sighed as she once again couldn’t make sense of the story. Looking over her right shoulder she could see Levi riding in the middle of the group, his head hung low and dark bags were present under his eyes. He wasn’t taking Eren leaving well at all. He didn’t sleep the entire night and he was obviously worried about the prince.

This made Christa feel guilty as she quickly looked away from her deteriorating king. Why, of all people, did Eren tell her his secret instead of Levi? Didn’t the prince know that the one who would have really cared about it was the king, the person who wanted trust in a relationship more than anything? Christa knew that despite any type of excuse, Levi wouldn’t forgive Eren for this if the boy failed to tell the king himself. That’s also why Christa couldn’t

be the one to tell him.

Things just got so... Messy. So hectic and terrifying. The blonde girl just wanted everything to go back to when they were happiest. With Eren staying with Levi in the castle, the prince taking Christa on walks and pulling pranks on people in the kingdom, for Levi to look as happy as he did when Eren was around. Did things really have to change?

Looking up at Erwin, Christa silently asked her father with her eyes if things would turn out okay but when he looked down, her heart fell. He looked so indifferent, as if he lacked any emotion at all. The only times she saw her father get like this was when bad things happen, and that was this time. 

Quickly throwing her head down, Christa tried her best not to cry but she couldn’t help it. She just wanted to be happy with her family and friends, why did she have to get wrapped up in some stupid drama like this? A prince won’t admit his identity and a prideful king who won’t forgive him because of a lie. It sounded so stupid to the girl that she briefly mused the idea that it could a plot to some kids’ romance book. But it wasn’t, it was really happening to her and the ones she loved.

Just how could she help things get better?

***

“I’m... I’m home.” 

The room was so silent that Eren could’ve sworn if a pin were dropped, he would have heard the air rushing around it as it descended. But there was no noise, only two pairs of eyes staring directly at Eren. 

Of all the ways his parents could have reacted, Eren didn’t think this would be one. Sure, Mikasa had also been so shocked that she got paralyzed too but both of his parents? He at least expected his dad to move.

Realizing he would have to act first, Eren started to walk to his mom as Mikasa and Reiner watched the scene unfold. The prince only got halfway towards his mother when Carla snapped out of her trance, running right up to Eren and jumped into his arms as tears ran down her face.

“Eren! Y-you’re here! You’re actually here, right?! I’m not... imagining... Please tell me I’m not imagining...” Carla weeped as the prince wrapped his arms tightly around his mother until she stopped shaking.

“Yeah, I’m here.” Eren said softly as his mother started to pepper kisses all over his face.

“My son, I’ve missed you so much... Don’t ever leave like that ever again... my heart can’t take any more scares.” Carla laughed softly as she wiped tears from her eyes but more just replaced them. Everyone knew that once she started crying she couldn’t stop.

“I’m sorry, mom.” Eren said as he pulled away slightly from his mother to look at her in the eyes. “I just... Things were terrifying for me here... Threatening to take away my freedom after I’ve had it for so long just really freaked me out—“

“And that’s why we should have taken it away sooner.” The king’s voice suddenly interjected and Eren whipped his head around to stare at the man. He did not looked please to see Eren, his eyes holding nothing but anger and disappointment.

“Dad, you should understand better than anyone what I was going through—“ Eren tried but was once again cut off.

“Enough, I don’t want to hear your excuses or your reasoning. You think that just because people were worried about you and are now glad to see you that you’re excused from consequences and responsibilities? Well then you’re more of a fool than I thought.” Grisha spat and Eren just had to take it, there was no use trying to argue when what his father was saying was true. The prince really had screwed up majorly this time.

“You ran away from the kingdom you’re meant to rule, Eren.” Grisha continued as the king turned his back on his family and looked out the massive window behind him, staring out over the kingdom that was falling apart. “You ran away from your responsibilities, only thinking of yourself. You didn’t consider your parents, your friends or your people, you just left us all behind as if we were nothing more than pawns in your little game you’ve been playing. Well, enough is enough. I’ve let you travel around the world for your entire life, I’ve let you have much more freedom than any other king would have given their first born and it seems I may have allowed you too much. Because now it seems you have this silly notion that you may do whatever you wish even if it’s at the expense of others.” Grisha turned back to face Eren who gave the older man a harsh glare, silently daring him to continue. Grisha did not, however and Eren took this moment to vent a little himself.

“I can agree with almost all of what you’ve said but the last part is not true. I will not do as I please if it means others will get hurt, that’s the last thing I could ever want!” Eren stopped when Grisha began to laugh, as if what the prince had just said was the funniest thing he had ever heard.

“What do you mean- aha... ha! That the last part of what I said was false?” Wiping small tears from his eyes, the king’s stare suddenly turned dark. “You left your family and kingdom behind in order to keep your liberty, you made us worry day and night if you were okay or if something horrible had happen and none of us would never know because you never bothered to tell anyone where you were. You just... you abandoned us, Eren. You say you don’t take freedom when it comes with the cost of others being hurt, right? Well, how do you explain the bags under your mother’s eyes due to her not sleeping for days worrying about you? How do you explain the amount of paperwork that’s piled up on Mikasa’s desk because you weren’t here to do it? How do you explain why our family is basically in ruins because we didn’t know if you’d come back alive or at all in order to take the crown?” Eren was speechless.

The prince hadn’t known that his family depended on him this much, he didn’t know that they would just... stop functioning without him. Staring at his father with wide, surprisede yes, Grisha took a few steps towards Eren until they were directly in front of each other, the king grabbed Eren’s collar and pulled him close until their faces were practically touching.

“Everything that has happened to this kingdom is on your hands. If you hadn’t run away from your duties you could’ve been married to a nice partner of your choosing, your mother and Mikasa wouldn’t be on the brink of death from not sleeping and eating properly. If you hadn’t left us... We could’ve talked things out and tried to make things right for our family but here we are now. In a crisis where people are going missing and a bandit group is currently staying with us, hoping to make an alliance with us. And now that your back, their dreams will finally come true.” Eren felt tears enter his eyes as he listened to his father and at the last sentence, the prince already knew what his king was going to say.

“Eren Jeager, you will marry Princess Mina Carolina of Titan. There will be no objections or excuses. You two will be married in two weeks to create a bond between Maria and Titan. From there we will eliminate the being or group that has been taking the people and Maria will then return to the prosperous kingdom it used to be. As soon as you become king, Eren, everything will be how it was supposed to be.”

***

News had quickly travelled that the lost prince had returned to his kingdom overnight and at this point, Levi was done caring.

He knew the prince was Eren and he had known that all along, there was no such thing as this many coincidences happening all in a row after all. The thing was, Levi had given Eren so many chances to tell him the truth and the prince didn’t take those chances. Instead he had lied to Levi’s face, pretending and building up a relationship with each other which was based on nothing but a lie and... It made Levi feel weird.

He had never had this sort of feeling where he wanted to scream, cry and forgive all at once. He was angry at Eren for all of the lying, he was upset that his partner betrayed his trust but at the same time he wanted to forgive Eren for everything and continue what they had started.

The king was afraid that when he finally confronted Eren, which he expected to be soon as the gates to the kingdom of Maria began to open, he would crack under that beautiful gaze and forget all the wrong Eren had done. But Levi couldn’t do that, he had to will himself not to crack and stay firm and true. Because at the end of the day, Eren had lied to his face and that was something Levi couldn’t excuse.

Looking over at Christa who was riding a horse with her dad, the two’s eyes connected and they both have each other sympathetic looks.

Well, it was now or never as Levi lead his group through the walls that separated the forests from the kingdom and they started to ride towards the castle.

***

It had been only a day since Eren had arrived home and he was already being loaded down with paperwork and responsibilities. Having already pulled an all nighter, the man groaned as he let out a yawn and rubbed his dark eyes. He was only halfway done.

However, Eren couldn’t focus on paperwork, he had much bigger things to worry about. Like who his fiancé was, how to win his dad’s trust back and... How to confront Levi when the king arrived at the castle today. Honestly, Eren didn’t know what to do anymore.

The prince felt so lost and scared, having thought he had known what he wanted his entire life and having control over it... He suddenly lost that power and didn’t know what he wanted anymore. He was so... confused. Eren needed someone to help him through all of this but he didn’t think there’d be anyone willing to.

His parents were relieved he was back but they were fed up with his behaviour and were now making sure they made every decision for him. Mikasa and Armin would listen to him but couldn’t provide him any help or support after he had been so selfish. Reiner was a high enough status to do anything for the prince; that included Annie and Bert as well; and Levi... Levi wouldn’t trust him anymore. That wouldn’t stop Eren though. Even though all this shit was happening at once, even though the prince’s mind was in shambles, he knew one thing: he loved Levi and was willing to fight for the man until his dying days.

Sitting back in his chair, Eren closed his eyes tiredly as he began to doze off, images of Levi flashing through his mind until... he heard horns. Loud, obnoxious horns blaring their ugly sounds from outside and the prince could only guess one reason why. They were announcing the presence of royalty. Levi had made it to the kingdom.

Sighing, Eren got out of his seat and went to his room, throwing off his shirt and tugging off his pants. He may as well wash up and look presentable for Levi. 

***

Upon entering the castle, a dozen maids rushed to Levi’s side to take his cloak and offer him refreshments of all kinds. After declining them all politely, a single maid was left as she bid the king of Rose to follow her to the throne room where the king and queen of Maria awaited. The castle wasn’t as flashy as Levi believed it would be. It still wasn’t modest, but it was much more tame than what he expected. He should’ve figured as much, however. Eren was the prince after all.

Eren...

Levi didn’t know how their meeting would go. Would Eren try to keep lying? Would he cry and beg Levi to forgive him? Whatever he did, Levi had to make sure he was in control. No matter how much he wanted the boy or wanted to forgive him, he couldn’t. Levi couldn’t stress enough about how important trust was to him and Eren broke that trust. That was something Eren should and would have to understand and learn from.

“The king and queen are waiting for you.” The maid said in a cheery voice, looking back at Levi. “And our prince also just came back so you’ll be able to meet him too!” Looking back forward, the maid started to hum happily and her mood made Levi want to punch the smile right off of her face. He was miserable right now and she dare look so happy in front of him... The king had to calm himself down and remind himself not to take his anger out on others. He could take care of that later once Eren and him were alone.

Starting to approach a set of double doors about fifteen metres tall and decorated with golden paint, Levi had realized they were looking at the entrance to the throne room.

Just ahead, blocking the door with a sword at his waist was a familiar face Levi didn’t think he would ever have to look at again. Reiner.

The blond made eye contact with him briefly and gave him a scowl but bowed as he approached out of respect. After he was finished his bow he turned around and opened the doors, Levi was slightly impressed that the man was able to open such heavy looking doors, and the group walked through.

Ahead of Levi sat a woman and a man on two golden thrones, both extremely beautiful to look at. The lady had dark, chestnut hair and beautiful green eyes while the man had dark hair as well, not as well maintained as his wife’s, but still gorgeous and they framed sea foam eyes, the same as Eren’s.

Both stood up as Levi approached and the Rose king owed before the Marian royalty.

“Your highnesses.” Levi started his greeting. “It is an honour. I am King Levi of Rose.”

Lifting his head, he watched the queen do a curtsy and the King do a small bow of his own.

“King Levi, I am Queen Carla and this is my husband, King Grisha. It is such a pleasure to finally meet you after hearing so many wonderful stories of you.” Carla said with a wide smile. “Please do excuse our appearance. Since our son disappeared we haven’t been getting enough sleep.”

Levi frowned slightly, wondering why the queen was apologizing for her appearance when he finally noticed it. There were bags under both her and her husband’s eyes, obviously being covered by some sort of powder to reduce how dark they looked but they were still visible.

“No need for apologies, my queen. You are as radiant as the rumours have told.”

“No need to flatter me.” Carla said with a small grin although Levi could see a small blush forming on her cheeks. “Allow me to also apologize for our daughter and son. As I’m sure you’ve heard, our prince had gone missing a few months back but he just returned home yesterday and he’s having... trouble adjusting.” Carla laughed softly.

Levi felt his heart quicken in pace as his palms began to sweat. He would be arriving soon, he’d see Eren again but not as... Eren. As Valor. 

***

Mikasa dried Eren’s hair with a towel as she attempted to comb through his unruly locks but to no avail, the comb split into two once it hit a particularly tangled knot and the princess gave up with a sigh.

“You realize I just broke three combs trying to do your hair, right?” Mikasa asked, trying to get Eren’s attention but it was no use. She had found Eren in a zombie state after she had entered his room. He had been dressed in nice clothes, had showered but his hair had been still soaking wet so she took it upon herself to get his hair managed. Unfortunately, hair was never her strong suite. 

“Come on, Eren. Tell me what’s wrong.” Mikasa frowned and sat behind Eren on his bed, wrapping her arms around her brother. She had been wondering what happened when Eren was away. Where had he been, what was he doing? What made him come back? She never had a chance to ask him, as soon as Carla and Grisha knew Eren was back they decided to tell him what he could and could not do, interrogating him wasn’t apart of their system. They probably thought they knew why Eren did what he had but Mikasa... She felt like there was something deeper than just that. And her brother wouldn’t tell her.

“Eren...” Mikasa mumbled into his back. She inhaled and caught a whiff of forests and ocean... No matter how much soap he used, Eren wouldn’t ever not smell like those refreshing scents. “Tell me what happened... Please? It’s obviously bugging you so just... Rant to me, you know you won’t ever be able to with mom and dad so just talk to me.”

Eren didn’t move for a long while until Mikasa looked up to lock eyes with the man. He was looking over his shoulder at his sister with small tears in his eyes and pain written all over his face. Eyes widening, Mikasa squeezed her brother tighter and felt her own heart clench at the sight. 

“Eren! Don’t cry! Please, just tell me what’s bothering you, I can—“ 

“You can’t do anything.” Eren’s voice cracked as he tried his hardest not to let any tears fall. “You can’t do anything, mom can’t, no one. It was my own fault that things ended up this way. I was an idiot.”

Frowning, Mikasa let go of Eren and crawled to the front of the man, looking up at him with concern. “Eren... Just let everything out already.”

Sniffing and wiping his eyes of tears, Eren gave Mikasa a small, broken smile. “You want to know what I did when I was away? I fucking fell in love, Mikasa. I went to Rose and I fell in love with the people I met there, I fell in love with the land and I fell in love with their king. I love Levi. But I lied to him the entire time, telling him my name was Eren and not being truthful about my identity and... Fuck!” Eren felt hot tears roll down his cheeks and he let out a pained whimpered. “...He values trust more than anything... From his past he’s carried that mentality for years... After I lied to him all this time there’s no way he’ll forgive me and...I don’t know what to do.” Not daring to look up, Eren waited for Mikasa’s response.

“Eren... Look up.” Mikasa ordered and just by the tone of her voice the prince knew she was angry. However, when he looked up, he felt his sister’s arms around his waist and her face buried in the crook of his neck.

She squeezed him so tight and the entire time Eren was just questioning why she was comforting him but before he could ask, she spoke.

“You may have lied... But you really did fall in love with him, right? No matter what name you take or identity you may have forged for yourself... You still fell in love with him and he fell in love with you. He fell for your personality and who you are, you shouldn’t have to define that with a name.” Mikasa said softly. “So just find some time to talk to him, Eren.”

Letting out painful sobs, Eren nodded his head as he put his face in Mikasa’s hair. 

“O-okay...”

***

“Our son and daughter should be joining us any minute— Oh! Here they are now!” Carla said happily as everyone in the room turned to their right, the hidden doors to whatever chamber opening up before them to reveal the most beautiful young woman Levi had ever seen.

She had raven black hair, snow white skin, pink lips and dark eyes that glittered in the light. Absolutely stunning. However, the glare she sent the king’s way made Levi drop any assumptions he had about the girl based on her looks. She looked like she wanted to stab him. The king almost wanted to shiver, almost.

Shifting his gaze, Levi looked over at the person who had accompanied to murderous looking woman into the throne room and Levi wished he could say he was shocked. He wished he could pretend he didn’t understand but he couldn’t. 

There beside the woman was Eren, freshly bathed and dressed as a prince should be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry I’m so bad at updating now ;D I hope long chapter makes up for it?????????  
> Thank you all who have put up with my inconsistent updating and I hope you’re enoying this story as it nears its climax ;)) Also... I finished this chapter at work. You can all thank my manager who let’s me hide in the office when business is dead.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this long wait ;-; After spending quite a while writing the chapter my save of it ended up getting deleted somehow and with school and sports starting up I just had no motivation to rewrite it ;-; but here it is! I’m sorry if isn’t very well done but I’m just happy I managed to get it out (like 2 months later) Again, I am very sorry for the wait and I hope you enjoy!

He couldn’t look him in the eyes. Even with Mikasa’s wise words he still didn’t know how he could face Levi after everything he had done. Eren hadn’t wanted to lie to the king, he wanted to be truthful with him but that just couldn’t happen, not with the situation he was in. So he lied, he made his choice and he didn’t know if it was the right or wrong one, all he knew was that there was going to be consequences for his decision and he was as prepared as he could ever be. Because even though Eren lied about his identity, he didn’t lie about his feelings. He really did love Levi and was willing to fight for him in any way and means possible.

So, with that in his mind, Eren took deep breaths, said his prayers and looked up at Levi. The world seemed to still and all that was in it was the two men as they made eye contact with each other, sea foam irises meeting steel grey. The look in Levi’s eyes almost made Eren want to give up hope, _almost_. 

The king looked like he had been stabbed, his mouth a firm line and his eyes glaring daggers at Eren but the prince swallowed whatever will he had left and made himself keep looking at Levi, accepting the small punishment now before the main event. He’d show the king just how much he was willing to fight for him.

“King Levi, these are my children. Eren is my first born and Mikasa is my adopted child.” Carla said happily, clearly oblivious to the showdown between Eren and Levi.

The king was the first to look away, focusing his attention now on Carla as he offered a small, lifeless smile which was more of just an upturn of the lips. “I’ve heard... Many wonderful things of them both. I’m sure you’ve raised them well, my queen.” No one else would have noticed the tiniest hint of malice in Levi’s voice, hidden so well it was barely detectable but to Eren it was all too obvious. The prince flinched as Levi said those words and made Eren feel even more guilty than he already was.

The boy understood what he had done wrong. He had betrayed his kingdom, his family, his people and even managed to hurt a kingdom he fell in love with along with their leader who he wanted to romantically invest himself into. Eren knew he had fucked up so badly but he wanted to make things right. Coming back to Maria was the first step. The second was to make things right with Levi.

“You’re flattering my family far too much.” Grisha spoke up, much to the surprise of his wife and everyone in the room. “You know my son ran away and ditched his responsibilities, he left our kingdom in shambles and at a loss. If he had died out there, there would have been no future for Maria.” Grisha obviously didn’t care to keep up the kingly act as he sat back in his throne and sighed tiredly. “I don’t know why you’re trying to suck up to us but if you’re looking for an alliance, we’ll have to discuss this later. It’s far too late to have a real diplomatic meeting and you must be exhausted from travelling all day. The maids will escort you to your quarters and you will be notified when dinner is ready. With that being said, everyone is dismissed.” Levi didn’t know if he should be offended by what Grisha said or impressed by how the Marian king could make something that should have come off as highly rude seem completely acceptable. 

Deciding not to take it to heart, Levi responded. “Very well, my king. But I must warn you that that I do have a lot to tell you and propose.”

With that being said, Levi didn’t bother looking up at the royal family again as he focused his attention on the maid who was hurriedly trying to get him out of the throne room and to his chambers. However, a voice stopped him and made Levi look back at the brunette he hadn’t wanted to see.

“King Levi.” Eren was coming towards him with fiery eyes filled with determination, taking long, strong steps towards the king. He didn’t even falter once, not even when Levi shot him the dirtiest glare he could muster. Stopping right in front of the king, Eren continued. “I would like to request an audience with you. Right now. Please, allow me this time with you.” Levi would’ve been impressed with how well the brat was doing if his voice hadn’t wavered in the middle of his request. He had put so much effort into putting up a front only for his voice to be his downfall.

Staring at the man before him, Levi wanted to wrap his arms tightly around the brunette and hold him close, tell the boy how much he cared for him and how he wanted their relationship to work but Levi couldn’t do that. He didn’t have that luxury anymore. If things had been different, if they had met under different circumstances or if Eren had only been honest maybe they would have been happily in Levi’s bed right now, enjoying their lives together with no worries. Or maybe not, Levi wouldn’t ever get to know because this was his present, he couldn’t think of the “what if’s”, he had to continue on from here.

“Eren!” Carla snapped as she rushed down from her throne to grab her son by the hand and pull him away from Levi. “Eren! Manners!” The queen scolded and quickly looked at Levi with an apologetic look on her face. “I’m so sorry my king—“

Not wanting to hear any more of the apology, Levi raised his hand which indicated for her to stop. “It’s fine. I accept your request, Prince Eren. But we must make it brief. I’m quite... exhausted.”

***

Carla had made Eren wait for his meeting with Levi, saying the king should get settled and comfortable in his room before Eren would speak to him, much to the brunette’s dismay. So that was why he was currently in Mikasa’s room, worrying about everything that could go wrong during their meeting while ranting to Mikasa about it.

“Calm down, Eren.” The raven said softly as she combed her fingers through Eren’s unruly hair. “If he sees you panicked then you’ll have no shot with him. Just take deep breaths and think about what you want to say.”

Eren sighed softly as he processed Mikasa’s words. “... I don’t think I’ve ever been so scared to do something in my life.” He mumbled softly as he leaned his body against Mikasa’s.

“That means something coming from you.” The girl said softly as she put her weight against Eren, the two using each other as support. “It’s just talking to someone, Eren. You’re talking to make things right so just say exactly how you feel.”

“...I wish it was as easy as that.” Eren’s smiled softly and gave his sister a hug.

The two stayed in their comfortable silence until there was a soft knock on the door. After waiting a second, a maid’s voice spoke. 

“Your highness. King Levi is ready to speak to you now.”

After hearing footsteps walking away from the door, the prince took a deep breath and stood up, shaking off whatever nerves he felt and filling himself with determination. Mikasa was right, he was just going to talk to Levi and make things right between them again. Even if this meeting went badly Eren wouldn’t give up.

Wishing him luck, Mikasa watched her brother walk out her door and silently prayed for him to succeed. It was the first time she had seen her brother so invested in someone and while she wished it had been someone else other than the shorty prince to a wannabe kingdom, she was happy that Eren had fallen in love. The look in his eyes when thinking of the man he loved was worth every penny.

***

Eren stood right outside Levi’s door, not knowing what he should do. He had done a good job making his way to the room without faltering but as soon as he was face to face with the door, the prince was at a loss. So he just stood there, wondering what he should do next.

“C’mon Jeager... You can do this...” Willing himself to lift his hand, Eren was about to knock when the door suddenly opened and there stood Levi, looking irritable but as beautiful as ever.

“Were you planning on staying out there all day?” Levi spoke up first, glaring at Eren as the brunette tried to catch up with the situation.

“N-no I was just...” Eren stuttered and eventually veered off, just staring at Levi in shock.

The raven eventually sighed and opened the door wider as he motioned for Eren to enter the room, to which the prince hurriedly did so.

Levi had been given one of the bigger guest bedrooms which adorned a king sized bed with midnight blue drapes while the rest of the room was furnished with oak wood dressers and tables, dark blue pots with orchids and varying flowers decorating the otherwise boring room. In the right hand corner lay a fireplace which was newly lit, a coffee table and two couches facing each other placed in front of the flames. Eren didn’t make his way towards the seats though, he didn’t know what to do with himself as he just stood in his spot, even when Levi had shut the door and taken a seat on the sofa.

“You going to sit or what, brat?” Levi said and despite the harsh tone used, the nickname put Eren a little bit more at ease.

Taking a breath, the prince was able to move his legs to take a seat on the opposite couch where he was able to properly look at Levi’s face which was illuminated by the dancing fire light. He looked tired and grouchy, dark circles under his eyes and his hair messed up even after he had taken a shower. It made Eren feel guilty, knowing he had at least something to do with Levi’s shambled appearance.

“Out with it. I’m tired and don’t have all night to talk to you.” Levi’s sudden harsh words made Eren snap out of whatever daze he was in and the prince had to remind himself of his goal before starting.

“I’m the prince.” Eren said suddenly and by the way Levi furrowed his eyebrows, the prince knew he hadn’t started off properly. “I-I mean, you know that now but I wanted you to hear from me... I... am Prince Valor of Maria. All my friends call me Eren, which is my middle name but it’s also the name I most prefer. So please, continue calling me Eren.” Taking another breath, the prince didn’t meet Levi’s eyes. If he did, he didn’t think he’d be able to finish. “Levi, please just listen to me until the end. I know you’re angry that I lied to you and betrayed your trust. I also know you’re angry because I ditched my responsibilities as a prince and did something as selfish as running away to get out of a marriage. I know I messed up really bad but please. Please know that I’m trying— no. I’m going to make things better. The first step was to come back to Maria which I did and now I need to make things right with you. I know you think I created a fake identity just so I wouldn’t get sent back to Maria and you’re right about that, that was what I first had in mind but... I really did fall in love with your kingdom. The longer I stayed there the more I wanted to start creating a life in Rose which I’ve never experienced before. I always thought I wanted to constantly keep travelling to new places and never stay still in one spot but Rose changed that. I fell in love with your kingdom, Levi, and I fell in love with its leader.” Eren looked up as he confessed his feelings to the man in front of him. Levi looked shocked but otherwise nothing in his face gave away what he was thinking, so Eren continued. “I love you, Levi. I’m sorry for lying this entire time, but even though I may have been using a different identity, my feelings were real. I know you’re upset right now but I won’t stop trying to prove myself to—“

“Just stop.” Levi said abruptly and Eren flinched in shock. For the first time since meeting the man, Eren thought he could see pain on his face. “Just fucking stop. You say that you understand everything you did wrong and know how to fix it but you don’t. You don’t understand. You fucking lied to me, the one thing I really hate is liars. I was lied to when I was in the slums, I was lied to when people wanted to use me and the fact that you built our entire relationship up on a lie... that’s the ultimate betrayal, Valor. I knew you were the fucking prince all along and I didn’t want to believe it. So I decided that I’d give you until we walked through the Marian walls to tell me the truth, if you had told me before we got into your kingdom than I would have forgiven you for everything. Because at least then you would have told me the truth before I had to find out some other way. But that didn’t happen. You decided to deceive me until the very end and only gave up when you literally had no other choice. How could I possibly love someone who’d do that to me?”

Eren felt like his heart had been stabbed repeatedly over and over. He knew Levi would be angry. He knew that and yet he hadn’t been expecting it to hurt this much. Eren thought that Levi would tell him he was a horrible prince and that he had lied to him but he didn’t think that Levi would just... Tell him he couldn’t love him. He didn’t think the king would do that. He didn’t think that Levi would just erase Eren from his heart but by calling the prince Valor, Eren knew that was what the king was intending.

“Wait, L-Levi. I won’t stop fighting for you, you know? I really do love you and I know you’re feelings can’t just disappear-“ Yet again, the prince was cut off.

“Just stop. Yes, I had feelings for Eren, I’ll admit that. But you aren’t Eren. You’re Prince Valor of Maria and you were just pretending to be someone you weren’t. You need to stop playing pretend and snap back into reality.” Levi got up from his seat and turned his back to Eren. “Running away from your own kingdom and then acting as someone else, pretending to fall in love... Just how desperate were you to get away from your real life? You need to stop and grow up. You need to realize what’s really important. So stop just thinking about yourself and fulfill your responsibilities as a prince. If you refuse then don’t ever consider coming to see me again. I’d rather stay away from you if I’m a distraction. If that’s all, then leave, Valor.”

Those words ripped through Eren as he sat in shock on the couch, not being able to will his body to move. He was trying to process the words but couldn’t, he felt his brain start to ache as his heart tensed up and his whole body went numb.

Looking over his shoulder at the expression on the boy’s face, Levi sighed and walked towards the exit. “I’m going to get some fresh air. Take your time and leave once you’re ready.”

The prince didn’t move however, even when the doors shut with a soft click behind Levi. Eren didn’t think this could have gone any worse, the king really thought Eren was only acting, that his feelings weren’t genuine and even if he did, he wouldn’t trust Eren again after being lied to for so long. The prince tried not to cry, he really did, but he couldn’t help but release a few tears as he thought about how Levi said he couldn’t ever love someone who lied to him. Sitting there for a few moments, Eren suddenly slapped his cheeks with both hands and made himself snap out of his daze. He wouldn’t give up on Levi. This was the first person he had ever loved and he’d be damned if he gave up because of his own stupidity.

He’d make things right, just you wait.

***

The night air was chilly and Levi wished he had bothered to take his cloak before he left but he didn’t so now he could either go back to his room and hope Eren wasn’t there or fight against the cold. He settled for the latter.

Leaning over the railing and using his arms as support, the king looked over the Marian kingdom which was illuminated by the half moon and the sweet sound of silence rang throughout the air. It was a peaceful night. It’d be hard to imagine anyone would go missing under these conditions but from what Levi had overheard from gossiping maids, there was always someone who went missing at night. Sighing at the morbid thought, Levi decided to clear his mind and solely think about what Eren had told him. The brat had said he was sorry, gave his excuses, promised him things... Honestly, Levi didn’t care anymore. He loved the stupid prince but he couldn’t allow someone who would lie to him, especially for so long, to be his partner. So he told Eren that he could never come to love him and Levi regreted it already. He thought it would be a good idea to get Eren to give up on him but the king was already starting to regret his words. He didn’t want to shatter the boy or make him cry but he was pretty sure he had just done exactly that.

Sighing again, Levi closed his eyes and just listened. He couldn’t hear anything except for the soft breeze that whistled past his ears and teased his hair. It was so beautiful in Maria at night. So quiet. He shouldn’t have fought with Eren when the rest of the world was so calm, he should be with the boy he loved, holding him, telling him how much he cared, anything besides being split up from him. But here he was, a lonely king in the middle of a giant mess.

“You needed some air too?” Levi heard a soft voice ask from behind him and he momentarily cursed himself for dropping his guard, not even hearing the woman approach him.

“Ah, yes.” Swiftly straightening up and turning around, Levi was met with the smiling face of the Marian queen, as beautiful and radiant as ever. “Your highness.” Levi said with a bow.

“No one else is here, please, just call me Carla.” The queen smiled wider and motioned to the railing Levi had just been caught leaning against. “May I join you or is this only a party for one?”

“Please, feel free to join.” Levi watched as the woman walked up beside him but stayed far enough away that she wasn’t making him uncomfortable. He silently thanked the woman for the space.

“So... My son requested an audience with you... Should I be concerned as to why?” Levi knew he was going to be interrogated at some point but he didn’t think the queen would just jump straight into it.

Not losing his composure, Levi tried to come up with the best answer he could muster. “I do think you should be quite concerned, Carla.” Levi said honestly as he looked over at her. He had been wanting to tell someone he knew would be trustworthy when coming to Maria and now was his chance. “I have very alarming news for you. While you may not believe me after I tell you all of this I’m sure your son will back up my claims.”

Giving her a few moments to prepare herself, Levi then continued when he saw the familiar fiery look in her eyes, one that challenged her son’s.

“I’ll try to make this story as brief as I can... So, Valor came to Rose after he ran away. He shielded his identity by using the name ‘Eren’ and he even went as far as to wear a blindfold over his eyes so he wouldn’t be recognized. Pretty smart move, he would have probably fooled me if he hadn’t made up a story that was similar to the missing prince’s.”

Carla nodded and sighed. “So you knew all along he was really the missing Marian prince. If that’s so, why didn’t you bring him back?”

“I have to admit, I think I started to like him. When I first saw him I thought he was a crazy bandit that I’d have to protect my people from but he... He proved himself. He saved one of my own and before I knew it, he had captured the hearts of everyone in my kingdom, myself included. We all enjoyed having him be apart of our lives that I guess... I didn’t want to believe that he was really lying to us or putting up an act just so he wouldn’t get sent back to his home. So I ignored all his lies and went along with his little act. Things probably would have still went that way if we hadn’t heard of what was happening in Maria. All the disappearances and... The deciding that Maria would form an alliance with Titan.” Levi saw Carla flinch and he stopped talking, looking over at the queen.

She looked enraged, biting her bottom lip hard as if trying to keep herself from saying something she would regret later. Staring at this woman reminded the king so much of _him_ , the way they acted... It was too similar. But because of that, Levi felt like this woman deserved to have a conversation with him that wasn’t restrained by formalities or politeness. He wanted to really be able to connect with her and that started by being able to talk to each other not as royalty, but as regular people.

“Carla.” Levi only said her name but this made the queen seem to ease herself as she looked at Levi in the eyes. “I have a lot to say so honestly, let’s just drop any formalities and talk to each other. It’ll get my point across better anyways.” The queen seemed relieved to hear such a thing and she let a wide smile spread across her face.

“That... would make me so happy.” The queen laughed softly. “You have no idea how annoying it is to act sophisticated— well, actually... You probably do. But... You could probably tell by my expression I’m not thrilled about Titan trying to become Maria’s ally. I’ll let you finish what you need to and then I’ll tell you my side.”

Levi nodded in confirmation. “Anyways, while Eren was in Rose he actually ended up being ambushed once along with a colleague of mine while on a road and then later on was kidnaped by the same group.”

These words made Carla freeze and Levi could tell by looking at her eyes she knew exactly what group he was referring to.

“Titan.” She whispered and Levi nodded.

“Yes. That’s partly why I came here, to Maria. I wanted to warn you that you Titan is too dangerous to form an alliance with. They ambushed your son and kidnaped him, if they could do that to a prince who’s highly skilled with a sword than how many others have suffered a worse fate at their hands? They are dangerous, their group consists of murderers and convicts hiding under a figurehead they call their queen.”

Sighing, Carla leaned against the railing and shut her eyes tightly, as if deep in thought before turning her head back towards Levi to look him in the eyes. “This is where my side of the story comes in. I hope you’ll bear with it, Levi, it’s quite lengthy.”

“I thought we agreed to quit with the formal talk.” Levi shrugged and leaned against the railing as well. “Besides, it’s not like I’m in a rush anywhere.”

Letting out her own huff, Carla watched Levi closely before resuming. “Their figurehead is a girl named Mina. Eren and her were best friends as children but after her parents had died in a freak accident, Mina and her brother Marco had decided to run away to another land or something, I don’t know where. I guess they ended up with Titan some way or another but how they got to Titan isn’t the important part. I knew as soon as I saw her step foot into my home that she was going to be trouble. She always had a sick fascination with Eren, as if she was trying to monopolize him. Even as a child she would constantly try dragging him to secluded places or try to get him alone to do who knows what. Grisha has always told me it was fine because they were just kids but when she came back I knew that she had a few screws loose in her head. She’s still obsessed with my son and of course Grisha is too fucking blind to see it.” Levi almost snorted when the queen cursed but decided to hold it back, quite happy the queen had felt so comfortable around him that she was willing to curse. “He’s too angry to see what’s really going on, he just wants to punish Eren and make him into a proper prince that’s ready to inherit the crown as soon as he’s married.” 

Frowning, Levi tried to make sense of it all. “So Titan must have come to Maria with the proposition after their queen admitted to having an interest in your son... So they plan on creating an alliance with one of the strongest kingdoms in the world, one that could easily shut Titan down if they do form this bond and the group steps out of line, and then what? It doesn’t make sense, what could possibly be on Titan’s agenda that they would have to form an alliance before anything else?”

Sighing, Carla shook her head. “I’ve been thinking the same thing but I can’t seem to confide in anyone. My husband is too busy thinking he’s been betrayed by his own son to even consider what I’ve been saying and I don’t want to stress out Mikasa anymore than she is, after all she is taking care of most of the kingdom right now while Grisha and I have our arguments... As for Eren... He’s just gotten back and I can already tell my baby isn’t the same. I knew he ran away for his own desires and it breaks my heart he can’t have them but right now he needs to understand what’s important. And that’s fixing Maria first.” Levi nodded in agreement and the two went into a comfortable silence as they both calmed down from their rants, happy to have been able to get them off their chests. 

That’s when Levi just noticed how Carla had been calling Eren by his middle name instead of his first.

“...Why do you call Valor ‘Eren’ instead of his real name?” The question was sudden and it caught Carla by surprise but after she thought about it, a smile spread across her face.

“Grisha named Eren. He always wanted to have a strong son that was named accordingly so I let him have his way and he named our son Valor. It’s a ridiculous sounding name, something Grisha realizes now and it has way too much power put into it. So that’s why I gave my son the middle name ‘Eren’. It was something normal but strong and something I knew my child would like to be referred to as in the future. It was... a second identity, I suppose. When he had to be a prince and uphold his responsibilities he could be known as Valor but when he was free and exploring and... being himself he could use that name and really feel like he was normal. So that’s why myself and many of his good friends continue to call him Eren. Because that’s the real him. Valor is simply a name he must yield when a crown sits upon his head.” 

The words made their way to Levi’s ear and without giving a response, the king nodded and got up, walking back inside.

“Thank you for the chat, Carla. I hope to help you some time in the future. The Eternal Goddess knows we’re going to need each other to depend on as things get tougher.” Levi didn’t bother looking behind him but he knew the queen would be smiling her beautiful smile.

***

Levi awoke the next morning to the sound of guards rushing down the halls and people yelling loudly, the ruckus outside making the king jump out of bed and quickly get ready before running out his door. As soon as he had left his room he was greated to the sight of soldiers running down the halls and maids hurriedly walking. What had happened? What was causing these people to rush around? That’s when Levi remembered that people went missing every night, there were probably additions to the numbers now and people scrambling to find out who was now missing. 

Groaning tiredly as his back clicked while he walked, Levi made sure to stay out of the rushing maids’ way as he himself started towards the dining hall where he was told to come each morning. Once he had entered the room, he was greeted to the sight of Eren, Mikasa, Carla and Grisha already seated at the long table, but none of them were eating or even talking to each other. They all were looking down with strange looks in their eyes. 

Carla was the first to look up and put a smile on her face when she heard the king enter the room and she stood up to bow as he approached. Nodding his own greeting, Carla retook her seat and motioned to the millions of other chairs seated around the grand table. 

“King Levi, please choose a seat. The chef will be bringing breakfast shortly.”

Nodding, Levi took a seat across from Eren, hoping the boy would tell him what was happening but Eren didn’t even seem to acknowledge Levi’s existence, finding his section of the table was more interesting apparently.

The five stayed like that for a few long and uncomfortable moments before Eren suddenly rose and that was when Levi noticed the prince had his sword at his hip, ready to go.

“I can’t just sit here. I’m going out to find him.” Eren said and already Levi knew there was going to be a family feud. And also, who was Eren referring to?

“Eren. Sit down.” Grisha said, he sounded tired as if he hadn’t been sleeping properly in months and honestly, that was probably accurate.

“I’m not going to just sit around. He would’ve come after me.” The prince said back as he tucked in his chair only to have Mikasa grab his arm and hold him where he was.

“That’s because you’re a prince, Eren. Hannes was a guard, it was his duty to protect you and the royal family. He knew that, Eren. He knew that he would be risking his life for us by signing up to be a guard and that was his decision to make. Now he’s disappeared like so many other people and we need to actually solve this mystery, not go after singular people. Get your priorities straight. If you’re going to be a good leader you need to make hard decisions that you can’t just recklessly and impulsively act upon.” Grisha rubbed his temples with his fingers, not knowing why he kept trying to fight with his son. Ever since Eren returned the king hadn’t exchanged any kind words, heck, he hadn’t even hugged Eren. He loved his son so much but Grisha was just so angry that he wasn’t taking anything seriously or fulfilling his responsibilities so what did the king resort to? Pushing his son away from him, becoming an angry and strict parent? His relationship would be finished with Eren by the time he became king if Grisha didn’t do anything to fix it soon but the man couldn’t say anything. He just couldn’t say he was sorry. Not when Eren was processing his words and the situation. Perhaps later. Seeing the tears in Eren’s eyes, however, made Grisha’s heart clench.

“He wasn’t just a guard. All these people that put their lives on the line for us have lives and families that they want to support and if any of them die for me then of course I’ll be grieving. It’s just as bad as me killing them in my eyes. Now if that’s all you have to say, I’m going out to search.” Wiping the tears from his eyes with his jacket sleeve, Eren looked over at Reiner who was in the corner of the dining room. “Reiner. You’re coming with me.” Without objecting, the blond started following Eren out of the room. Before the two left, however, Grisha said one last thing.

“Be back by dinner so you can meet your future wife.” This made Eren freeze for a few moments, his back turned to his father and his fists clenched. Without saying anything else he walked out of the room, Reiner by his side.

Sighing once Eren left, Grisha ordered the food be brought immediately and Levi was astounded how quickly got over the conversation that had just taken place. The Rose king looked up at Mikasa and wasn’t surprised he made eye contact with her, taking this chance to silently ask her what happened. Giving him a weird look, she shook her head sadly.

“Not now.” Was all she said and Levi didn’t question any further.

***

After breakfast, Levi didn’t know what to do. Eren wasn’t here to make the king feel on edge and everyone else was scrambling trying to solve all these disappearances. Mikasa had also left as soon as she had finished her meal and the king didn’t feel like chasing her down. Carla... Levi didn’t know where she had gone either. Judging by how her husband had reacted during breakfast, she probably hadn’t told him about her meeting with the Rose king. 

Things were just so... Messy. If it hadn’t been for Eren, Levi would have never gotten himself into this messed up situation. 

While lost in his thoughts, Levi rounded the corner and nearly ran into a blond man who had been running judging by his heavy breathing, both managing to swerve before the collision. Due to the sudden jerking, however, the blond man dropped a few papers he had been carrying.

“I-I’m very sorry, your h-highness!” The man stuttered as he hurriedly tried to pick up the scattered papers.

“It’s nothing.” Levi responded as he himself knelt down to help pick up the jumbled papers, eyes skimming some of the text and he realized they were files about the identifications of people. And that’s when he saw a name he recognized. Hannes.

“You don’t need to help me, King Levi, it was my fault I’m so sorry!” The blond nervously chattered, hurriedly picking up all the papers he could so he could escape this situation but Levi had no intention of that. Giving back all but the one paper he had an interest in, Levi ignored the other man’s desperate looks as he looked at Hannes’ profile.

Reading that this man that Eren had shown such compassion for was once a lowly thief who stole money to keep up his alcohol addiction, Levi wondered what was so special about this guy that Eren would personally want to search for him.

After a few moments, he heard the blond shift and was about to hand the paper back when Levi’s grey eyes looked up at baby blue ones. They looked a lot like Erwin’s... Beautiful, calculating and dangerous. It was quite unnerving actually.

“Hannes... Had kidnaped Eren a few years ago... Eren was probably twelve at the time I think.” Shocked that the mushroom haired boy was telling Levi something personal about Eren made the king forget about the papers and just focus on what was being told to him. “I don’t know how he, a thief that didn’t belong anywhere, managed to get so close to Eren but he did. He captured him and hid him away. It was about a week that the two had been missing but... That was all the time Eren needed to woe the soldier. He ended up bringing Hannes back to the castle, hand in hand with him, and demanding that his father provide him with housing and a job.” The blond laughed and Levi noticed how his blue eyes sparkled. He was obviously quite fond of this memory. “Of course King Grisha was angry. His son had been kidnaped and the man who had done it had somehow won his son over. But that wasn’t it and it didn’t take people very long to realize that Hannes had grown to care and love the prince, just like everyone did. Hannes was given a job at a local bakery and was provided a house when he decided to quit his job and give back his house in order to become a soldier. He swore to protect and serve the royal family and he had kept his promise up till this day. But just last night...” Taking a deep breath, the blond swallowed thickly. “J-Just last night... Hannes was patrolling and I guess he didn’t have a partner so... He went missing... Somehow.”

Levi didn’t know what to say as he saw tears well up in the kid’s eyes. That Hannes guy was obviously very cared for by Eren and his friend and Levi knew that pain from long ago but he could still very clearly feel those emotions. 

Collecting the rest of the papers, Levi took the rest from the teary eyed brat and stood up. “What’s your name, kid?”

Surprised at the sudden question, the boy looked up at the king. “I-I’m Armin Arlert. A royal secretary of sorts to the Jeagers.”

<>Taking in the information, Levi looked away from Armin to face straight down the hall. “I’ll take these to where you’re going so stand up.”

Realizing this was supposed to be an act of kindness, Armin quickly scrambled to his feet and tried once vainly to take away the papers from Levi’s arms but the king wouldn’t let him. Relenting, Armin decided to start walking down the hallway and guided Levi to a study room by the looks of it. When they got there, however, a woman was already inside reading a book.

She was quite beautiful, dark hair tied into two low pony tails and the dark eyes to match. Her thin lips curled into a delicate smile when she saw who had disturbed her leisure time. 

“Good morning, Armin and King Levi.” The woman sang, almost mockingly, as she placed her book down on the table in front of her.

Those beautiful eyes and her long hair...

Levi’s eyes scanned over her face rapidly as his gut filled with dread.

Black, long hair and a complexion that could challenge that of snow.

Levi didn’t know what to say as he looked at the woman properly for the first time and he already knew this was in fact the same woman who had been there when Eren had been kidnaped.

Mina Carolina was the Titan queen.

***

Reiner didn’t say anything as he walked along the perimeter just outside of the castle walls with Eren, not quite sure what he was looking for but still trying to be observant. Besides, Eren had yet to speak to him so what more could the blond do except follow his prince blindly into possible danger? It wasn’t the first time and it definitely wouldn’t be the last.

Looking around at the undisturbed nature, Reiner let out a sigh as his prince finally stopped walking, giving the soldier a chance to catch a break.

“Hey, Eren. I get that you’re upset but you need to give me some instructions here. I don’t know what you want me to even look for.” Reiner tried, in vain, to get Eren to talk but the prince suddenly started moving again without warning or response and travelled deeper into the woodlands, picking up pace the further in he got until he was full out sprinting. Reiner was faster than Eren, both of them knew this and the prince, trying so desperately to get away from Reiner, made the blond man hold back as he made sure to stay at least ten metres away from Eren.

They continued to run to no where in particular for a few moments until Eren started to slow down and it took Reiner a few moments to realize why. All around them were disturbed trees and shrubbery that hadn’t been tousled by nature. Something had destroyed them. 

Coming to a full stop, Eren finally looked around at Reiner and gave him such a heartbreaking look that the soldier couldn’t hold the stare for too long before he had to look away. Instead, Reiner decided to focused on the obliterated nature that now surrounded them, trees mashed to a pulp, the grass now dead from being stepped on by a giant entity. It looked like a war zone and both men had an idea of what type of monster had done it.

“...You want me to talk but I don’t know what to say.” Eren’s voice cracked as he looked around himself. “Do you want me to say that I’m sorry? I’m sorry for leaving you all here when things turned to shit? Well I’ve tried. I apologized to my mom and my dad and Mikasa and everyone. I’ve said sorry so many times now I don’t even know if the word has meaning to it anymore. But that doesn’t excuse the fact that I left, Reiner. I left and now something that was out of my control whether I was here or not is being blamed on me.”

Unsure of how to respond, Reiner cautiously made his way to Eren until he could touch his shoulders and turned the prince to face him. Eren refused to look up at Reiner’s eyes but the blond understood why.

“I don’t know why I’m being blamed for people’s disappearances but... all I know is that I need to somehow get to the bottom of this and fix it if I want my parents and subjects to trust me again... But I don’t even know where to start, Reiner. I don’t know how so many people are going missing and anything I think of could only lead to war.”

“...What were you thinking of?” Reiner asked softly as he moved his hands down Eren’s arms and took his prince’s hands into his. Eren took a sharp breath but didn’t take his hands back, instead continuing.

“I think Titan is behind the disappearances. I know it sounds dumb if they want to form an alliance with us but it’s just my gut feeling. As it is though, my dad won’t trust me. And... Just look around us. Monsters have been getting into this area obviously and those weird, humanoid creatures are taking over these areas... I don’t know what to do, Reiner. I feel lost, scared and... So fucking alone.”

“...I’ll always be beside you, you know.” Reiner barely whispered but judging by how Eren tensed up, the soldier knew the prince had heard just fine.

Giving Eren’s hands a small squeeze, Reiner pulled his prince closer to him until their chests were pressed right against each other. The blond man then allowed himself to rest his chin atop Eren’s head and breathe in his scent. The ocean and woodland.

“I know you don’t think of me the way I think of you... But I won’t ever betray you. I vowed to put your life and well being before my own so I will keep that promise. I just need you to trust me.” Reiner released Eren’s hands to wrap his arms around the shorter’s waist. 

When the blond didn’t hear Eren respond he thought that he had made a horrible mistake but to his surprise, he felt arms wrapping around his shoulders. Then, a soft voice in his ear spoke.

“I want you to stay by my side for as long as I live... So please, serve me and watch over me as I become a man you’ll be able to proudly call your king.”

With a smile on his face, Reiner nodded. 

“I pledge my allegiance to you, my King.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You all are lovely <3 please forgive my tardiness QAQ


	12. Chapter 12

The area around them had been stripped of any life that had once prospered there, instead mulched up grass and wood lay around. With each step Reiner and Eren took their boots slid further into the sloppy mess, threatening to steal their shoes each time. The monsters that did this... They didn’t just leave behind a destroyed environment. They also left behind a single sword covered in blue and red blood. Eren knew it was Hannes’ by the small crystal that hung off the hilt, once having been beautiful and now covered in cracks and soil.

Eren stared at the sword lying in the mud until Reiner walked over to retrieve it himself, wrapping it up in a rag he had as he handled the blade with care. The cloth quickly soaked up the blue and red liquid and mixed to create a muddied purple, a sickening colour that made Eren look away.

“...Let’s head back. I don’t see his body so I guess we can’t really bury him...” The prince grumbled as he turned and started to walk away but Reiner wasn’t satisfied.

“Aren’t you going to cry?” The blond knew how much Hannes had meant to Eren, he had been one of the first people to treat Eren like a normal kid and even taught the prince how to fight on the streets and how to survive in harsh environments. That man was like another father to Eren if Reiner had to choose a word to describe their relationship. So to see the man before him just turn on his heel when presented with the last item Hannes left behind, without even shedding a tear, made Reiner worried.

Eren paused for a few moments before looking over his shoulder at the blond man. He didn’t say or do anything other than stare before looking away and continuing on his path back to the castle.

Reiner sighed and decided not to say anything else as he trudged through the mud and followed his prince. It was bound to be a long, quiet journey back.

***

Carla sat in front of the castle entrance, waiting for her son to return from his expedition and preparing herself mentally to be there to console him. She had known what Hannes was to her son and she knew that Eren would take his death badly. Heck, even she was tearing up just thinking about the soldier. He had been at the castle for so many years, protecting not only Eren but the entire royal family. The queen had seen him everyday since Eren had brought him to the castle all those years ago and now the man was gone. The man who had helped raise her son was now dead and Carla didn’t know how to react to such a change. Should she cry and weep knowing she’ll never get to see that man laughing and teaching her son again or should she try to move on and push down those feelings of sorrow? Regardless of whatever she chose... it didn’t change the fact that life in Maria had changed so drastically in only a few months. The kingdom... It went from one of the most strongest kingdoms in the world to one that was falling away to nothing. They barely had half the population of Maria left, Eren still hadn’t met his soon to be wife who is actually the figure head of the most notorious bandit group and her relationship with Grisha was the most strained it had ever been. Everything was just a mess. And what hurt her the most was that most of these events were being blamed on Eren.

Yes, the boy made a horrible mistake by leaving the kingdom and causing a panic but... he didn’t cause any of _this_. Eren didn’t ask for his people to die, he never asked to be married to a bandit queen. He just wanted to be free. But, unfortunately, Carla knew that wish of his could never come true, not as long as a crown lay upon his head. And right now, Eren was an easy target for people to put their blame upon. Grisha was one such participant, his hostility towards their son being one of the main reasons why Carla was fighting more with Grisha. 

Sighing, the queen leaned back in her seat and stared up at the cloudy sky filled with grey. She didn’t know how much more she could take. Everything was falling into chaos. But she promised herself she would do everything she could for Eren while she was still breathing.

After a few moments, Carla heard footsteps from beyond and she looked up to see Eren and Reiner walking back to the entrance carrying something in a cloth that the queen couldn’t quite see form where she sat. Rising, Carla quickly jogged up to meet her son and Reiner but upon seeing their grim faces, she slowed to a walk. She then saw all the blood that covered the rag that held the retrieved item.

Finally reaching her son, Carla tried to take Eren’s arm but he dodged around her grip and walked completely past her, heading back to the castle. Instead of going after him, the queen looked back at Reiner and he gave her a sympathetic look.

“He didn’t say anything on the way back either... I think it’s his way of grieving, my queen.” Reiner said softly. Nodding, Carla looked at the cloth and at an unspoken command, Reiner lifted the crimson soaked fabric.

Tears welled up in Carla’s eyes as she saw the once beautiful blade Hannes had possessed, having once been glimmering and sharp, now dull and scratched from the elements of nature and abandonment. At that point, it was confirmed the soldier had died. 

“...Prepare a funeral. Bury the sword in place of the body and... Get Mina for me. Tell her to meet me in the library.” The queen demanded as she turned and quickly made her way back to the castle. 

She’d be damned if she’d let her son marry that woman while he was going through all this.

***

Mina made her way through the long halls of the castle, her heeled shoes clicking against the floor and the sound resonating down the hallway. She still couldn’t believe how massive the castle truly was, she had gotten lost so many times within these walls and in honesty in she really missed the Titan camps. They weren’t the ideal place to live but it was peaceful and she was always right beside people who cared for her deeply. There was the old woman who was basically a mother to her, having consoled Mina and her brother after their parents’ demise and then consoled the girl once again when she lost her brother. There were also the children, Mina treating each and every one of them like her own and the Titan queen also had animals they bred for fresh produce. The Titan camps were a nice place to live. She probably preferred it over life in a castle.

Mina sighed as she focused on her destination, wondering why the queen would want to meet with her privately. She knew Eren’s mom hated her and probably for a good reason too... Mina had to admit she was very attached to Eren as a child and even now she wanted nothing but him. That didn’t mean the Titan queen was psychotic though. She was very much sane and only playing her role as a bandit queen, which meant she had to act unhinged at times. She was hoping the queen would be able to see through her act but after so many years of keeping this front up while Nile was around, Mina supposed she was too much of a pro to tone down the acting now.

Upon reaching the doors to the grand library, Mina hesitated only the slightest before lifting her chin and opening the doors. She was greeted with the sight of a dimly lit, vast library that was bound to have almost every book ever written in its collection. In the middle of the massive room sat two green, velvet chairs facing each other where the queen of Maria sat upon one. 

“Ah, Mina. Please, take a seat.” Carla put down the book she had been reading on her lap as she nodded towards the chair in front of her. Mina wasted no time as she confidently walked up to the chair and took a seat, straightening her back and keeping her chin high. 

“My queen. You requested to see me?” The Titan queen spoke softly as she usually did.

Carla, glaring down Mina for a few moments before speaking, finally said what she wanted to for the past month. “You will not marry my son.” She’d finally done it. Carla had gone against her husband after so many years of their trusting marriage. All those years they were together neither of them had acted without the others knowledge and consent but Carla had just broken that cycle... and she didn’t know how to feel about it. It was far too late to turn back now, however.

The room was silent for a few moments before Mina, who had lowered her head in thought, spoke up.

“...What do you mean, my queen? I’m not quite sure I understand.”

Carla took a breath before starting. “It’s exactly as I said, you will not marry Eren. I have decided this and I will not have anyone persuade me otherwise. With everything that Maria’s going through like just getting Eren back and the disappearances... There’s no way this kingdom is ready for this. More importantly, my son isn’t ready for this. Eren just got back home and was thrown into this giant mess. Not only does he have to worry about the missing people and how to keep the rest of his kingdom safe but he would also have to think about his marriage to you and the wedding. There’s so much at stake right now and honestly, I think everyone would be better off without a wedding in the midst of chaos. I hope you understand because I will not change my mind.”

Mina was silent and she remained silent even as Carla shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Had the girl not heard her or zoned out that entire time she was talking? Surely not—

“Unfortunately, my queen. You don’t have the final say in this.” Finally raising her head, Mina gave the queen a dead stare, as if she were bored of this conversation. “I respect you as a ruler but I very much dislike you as a person, trying to keep me away from Eren by telling your husband lies about me. Don’t look so surprised, my queen, I know you’ve been telling the king about me and trying to stop this marriage by any means possible but you know absolutely nothing about me. Yes, I may be a bandit queen and yes my people may not be trustworthy but we will prove our selves over time. As for the wedding it will go on unless Eren himself tells me he wishes not to proceed with it. If that is all you have asked me here for, I will take my leave.” With that, Mina stood from her chair and smoothed down her skirt before promptly exiting the library, her heels clicking against the floor. The sound resonated throughout the room as if taunting the shocked queen who remained seated. 

This just made Carla distrust Mina even more than she already did as she looked around the room. Just how on earth did that damned Titan queen know what she had been saying to her husband? Eyes roaming over every shadow around her, the queen kept dead silent as she tried to listen to her surrounding since her eyes were failing her and then she caught it. A soft voice breathing barely audible but her sharp ears caught it.

There were spies everywhere in this castle and they weren’t Carla’s.

***

He didn’t know what he was doing as he made his way to his room, dodging past maids and soldiers who approached him, wondering if he was okay. Eren couldn’t speak now, however. He was afraid that if he did his voice would break and he would shed the tears he had been so desperately holding back.

Hannes was dead. 

It took all of Eren’s self control to not scream at the top of his lungs and punch the cobblestone wall beside him. He was at fault for the man’s death, hell, he hadn’t even been there to witness his demise himself. He hadn’t even seen Hannes since he arrived back at the castle and now the man he held so much respect for as another father figure was dead. 

Eren ran to his room and opened the door only to be face to face with his father who was sitting on his bed looking through a book. Upon seeing his son entering, Grisha placed the book down and looked up at his son, his stupid son.

“I already heard.” Was all Grisha found himself saying as he looked up at his child, wondering how the boy wasn’t crying. As tough as Eren acted, the king knew his son, he knew that Eren wanted to cry and why he wasn’t right now surprised the king.

“What’re you doing here?” Eren asked as he quickly looked away from his dad and hung his head low. The prince had feared that if he looked his dad in the eyes right now his facade would crack and he would crumble into the man he didn’t want to be right now.

“I’m here because I heard about Hannes. I know how much he meant to you, Eren. So... Rely on me to help you through this.” Grisha said softly as he rose and started towards his son, holding a hand up to reach for Eren’s cheek only to have the prince pull away.

“I’m fine.” Eren lied as he moved farther away from his dad.

“Look, I know I haven’t been welcoming since you returned home and I’m sorry for that. I was too harsh... Blaming you for things that are beyond your control and making you miserable... I never intended to be that kind of father and I’m so sorry Eren. I just don’t want you to think that this was your fault because it isn’t and it wasn’t fair of me to say it was in the first place either.” Trying once more to reach out to his son, Grisha pulled his own arm back when Eren flinched. “I know I’ll have to redeem myself to you and I’m sorry for that, Eren. But right now, you probably want to cry, right? You planned to cry alone in your room?”

Eren grit his teeth together as frustration and anger took over his mind. Now his dad was trying to be a good father? After putting so much blame on his own son and not even welcoming him home after months of not knowing where he was... And still trying to marry him off after everything? Eren loved his dad, he wouldn’t try to deny it. But he did think that Grisha’s priorities were backwards.

Stepping away from his father, Eren shook his head. “I wasn’t going to cry. I came to think of what our next move is. You wanted this, right? You wanted me to act more like a king so I will.” Eren said most of this out of spite but part of it was true. He would start to be a king, a real king, until things were back to the way they were, even if it took forever and stole his freedom. Eren had to get Maria back in order. 

“...I know you’re angry at me so we can talk again later.” Grisha sighed as he moved past Eren to exit his room. “I really am sorry for what I did and am doing to you but you know I had everyone’s best interest in mind.” With that, Grisha walked down the hallway and Eren didn’t move until he couldn’t hear Grisha’s footsteps anymore. 

“You had everyone’s best interest in heart except your own son’s.” Eren breathed out as he fell against his door and slid to the ground with a soft thump. The prince pulled his knees up to his chest and hugged his arms around them as he put his face into his arms. Things had gotten so messy, it was unbearable. Eren almost didn’t know what timeline he was living in anymore. He went from bliss to despair and then from complete happiness in Rose to misery back at Maria. So much, too much was happening all at once. Just returning, disappearances, murder, having yet to meet his bride-to-be, not seeing Christa since he left that day and... Levi. Honestly, this was too much. Eren had to really think about everything and choose what he wanted to focus on at this time.

Images of all the people he had to make things right with passed through his mind as he thought about the consequences with each person with whatever decision he chose. But the prince smiled as he thought about how there wasn’t really a debate with this decision.

His future fiancé could be pushed to the side for now, it wouldn’t be difficult to do. Same as with Christa, her well being wasn’t his priority right now and not even his relationship with Levi was as important as fixing Maria. As much as he had been dreading the day he would take over the kingdom, Eren knew it was his responsibility and he would follow through with it. Maybe after they reclaimed Maria, Eren could be selfish again but for now... Anything he’d do would be for his kingdom.

He promised that to Maria.

***

Mina was eating dinner with them at the dining room table, much to Levi’s displeasure. Judging from Carla’s body language, she also wasn’t very pleased with this. Mina just sat in her seat, however, and calmly at her soup as if she didn’t notice the weird looks she was getting from the queen and Levi. From across the table Mikasa and Armin were watching the scene warily, ready to step in if at any point things got heated. The king decided to ignore all the passive aggressive looks and decided to focus on some documents he had in his hand. The only person who was absent was Eren but no one could really blame the prince after what had happened just earlier that evening.

Levi didn’t feel like eating as he looked down at his soup, apparently it was butternut squash with spices specially picked from Maria and it sounded delicious but the Rose king couldn’t bring himself to work up an appetite. He was too worried about Eren and what the kid must’ve been going through. 

It was getting unbearably silent, even Mikasa was beginning to grow restless, that was until Eren came through the doors and put an end to the stifling atmosphere. The prince walked into the room with his chin up and his back straightened, the personification of confidence in this moment and all Levi could do was stare in awe at the man before him. How could he act like this after everything he’s gone through up until this point? What exactly was Eren doing that made him act so confidently?

Everyone else seemed to have the same thoughts as Levi because the Rose king noticed everyone else’s reactions which were a mix of relief and awe.

“Eren! How are you feeling? Do you want some supper?” Carla quickly asked and Eren didn’t say anything until he stopped right at the head of the table where his father sat and stood in a spot beside him. Even Grisha looked surprised. 

Everyone watched Eren and waited for him to explain himself. The prince held his arms behind his back and took a breath before speaking. “I know that I haven’t ever acted as a proper prince or king but I’m planning on changing that starting right now. I am the heir to the throne of Maria and with the crown I will also inherit Maria’s problems, including the crisis we are in currently so I will do my duty as the next in line king and start to take action immediately. I wanted to consult everyone at this dining room table about my plans because you all are the ones closest to me and I will need each and every one of you to help me in my transition to becoming a king. I’m sorry to burden you with this job but I beg that you please stick by me during these changes.” Taking a shaking breath that was barely noticeable, Eren’s eyes quickly looked at Levi’s and the Rose king was about to say something when Eren’s orbs quickly left his, instead shifting onto Mina. The brunette didn’t move for a long while until Mina started to get antsy in her seat, a faint blush dusting her cheeks.

“Mina. It’s been a long time. It’s wonderful to see you again. When I heard I was going to be forced into a marriage I... Well, everyone knows I ran away obviously. I probably wouldn’t have if I had known you were going to be my bride.” Eren made his way to Mina and got down on his knees before her. The girl seemed to be in a state of shock and could only turn her head toward the prince as he took her hands in his own and pressed them to his lips. 

“My princess, I’m sorry to disappoint you but unfortunately... I... I have made the decision to terminate our marriage—“ The whole room seemed to freeze at that moment, Grisha was getting out of his chair to object and Carla was ready to stop him; Levi felt his heart drop and he saw Mikasa and Armin from the corner of his eyes look at each other out of worry and surprise. Eren wasn’t finished speaking, however.

“—But we will get married. I just... I want to solve this particular crisis right now and I only want to focus on this. I want to give you all my attention if we are to get married and I can’t do that if my mind is racing on thoughts of people disappearing so for the time being, let’s remain as allies just until everything is solved. Then, I will properly ask you for your hand.” Eren concluded and the room quieted immediately. What had happened to this adventurous young man? It was like he was a whole new person who just looked like Eren... And Levi hated it. This new Eren seemed so... restricted. There was no light in him, nothing that made him special anymore.

Levi felt his heart break as he realized that Eren hadn’t done this to himself... Despite what anyone said the prince’s actions did not lead him to his present... Everyone who expected anything of him had turned Eren into this imposter.

“Anyways, as I said.” Eren said as he stood, letting go of Mina’s hands without even waiting for a response as he continued. “I have a plan to try to catch whatever is taking people. It’s a horrible plan, in all honesty, and it’s rash and people may and most likely will get hurt but hear me out.” When no one objected, Eren continued. “There’s not many people left in the town of Maria and any citizens left all know to stay inside by now if it becomes dark. Which means that whatever thing is behind this mess will most likely target the castle where guards are roaming around the walls at night by themselves... That’s exactly what I want to take advantage of. My plan is to have all the guards now carry flare guns with them and at any sign of danger they shoot off a flare and guards from inside the castle can rush out to help. But there is a flaw because soldiers are stationary in their designated patrol areas, meaning if they get taken out before signalling there’s a danger that we are basically risking more than one life with this plan. The same thing applies if there are multiple enemies on opposite sides of the castle, our patrol could be easily overrun or ambushed. This is where I’ve decided to implement some moving patrol... In pairs of two I have selected eight people for four groups to be moving in a counter clockwise rotation around the castle at all times so that if something does happen and a signal isn’t fired than we could have other potential eye witnesses, one of which would be able to statistically get away to warn others. The people I have nominated are myself, Reiner, Mikasa, Annie, Armin, Bertholdt, Jean... where ever the hell that horse face is and Connie. You all will also be wielding multiple flare guns while travelling. That’s basically my plan, I’m aware it’s not foul proof but at this point, that was all I could come up with and I figured we needed to start somewhere. If anyone objects, please raise your hand now.”

One hand shot up immediately and Eren raised an eyebrow. “Yes, mom?”

Carla got out of her seat abruptly, her worry all too apparent. “Of course I object to this. All of our most trusted soldiers and friends out along the wall? With an unknown threat? Are you insane? And not only that but you decided that you would also be out there, with your sister and Armin? Eren, you’re out of your mind, what if you all get killed? Not only would Maria fall but I’d be robbed of all my children, that includes Armin. I won’t allow it, if anything make more soldiers—“

“Mom.” Eren said, almost tiredly as if this were a futile debate. “I get that you don’t want me or any one of us that you know personally and are close to to get hurt but those soldiers we have patrolling the walls have families and lives too. It would be embarrassing not to make myself a nominee. Secondly, you know this would be the most efficient team and we aren’t exactly weak either. With our capabilities I’m confident we’ll get to the end of this mystery in no time. So just... trust me on this.”

The room fell into a silence as everyone digested Eren’s words. When no one spoke up, the prince took that as a queue no one objected and smiled a grin that had no warmth behind it.

“Very good. Now, I would like to test this tonight actually once all of you are finished. Anyone I nominated please meet me in front of the wall gates and I’ll give out all the equipment then.” With that, Eren looked back down at Mina and smiled. “My princess, I will clear everything up as quickly as I can so please be a patient for a little while longer.”

Mina felt her heart thumping rapidly against her chest as she looked up at the man whose attention she had waited so long for. Ever since she was a child she had dreamed of the day Eren would look at her like he was now so why... Did it feel not as genuine as she had hoped? The prince looked like he was smiling so happily and yet... something felt out of place.

Even when Eren took her hand and gave it a soft kiss before he left the room with Reiner following close behind him, there was something not right and that’s when Mina looked over at the Rose king. Levi. He was glaring at her like she was the most horrible creature he had ever seen and a chill went up Mina’s spine. She realized very quickly that Eren had been acting this entire time in front of his parents, friends and her. Eren had fallen in love. And much to Mina’s dismay, she feared that he had fallen in love with Levi.

Meanwhile, the prince exited the dining hall with Reiner right behind him, calling orders to soldiers who were about to take over for the evening patrol. The prince was so consumed with his own thoughts that he didn’t even notice Reiner’s state.

Reiner was furious at Eren. He was angry that the prince wanted his risk his own life and accept responsibility for something that wasn’t his fault and he was also mad that Eren... Was ruining his own life. Reiner understood that the prince was trying to torture himself by agreeing to the marriage and blatantly hurting himself by kissing Mina’s hands right in front of the man he loved. This only pissed the blond off more because Eren had promised to not give up on Levi, that was why Reiner lost any chance with Eren himself... So, even though his cruel prince understood the soldier’s feelings, Eren still had the audacity to preform something like what he had just done and just give up on the man he truly loved right in front Reiner, rejecting him once again. Just... what the actual fuck.

The blond man didn’t even know how to digest anything that had just happened in the past thirty minutes but he did know that he was extremely pissed off. Especially now when Eren wasn’t giving him the light of day and didn’t bother explaining anything to Reiner even as they entered Eren’s study room. It had been a long time since Reiner stepped foot in here, the last time when Eren was being tutored around the age of fourteen and the prince had complained that if he had to sit through a boring lecture, then Reiner would have to as well. So instead of guarding the room from behind the door like he had always been told to do, he was protecting his prince from the inside. He supposed that’s when he really started to develop feelings for his prince, and not a day went by that Reiner didn’t wonder that if he hadn’t stepped into that study room that day, would he have gotten this close to Eren? Would he have ever come to love the idiotic man he called his prince and soon to be king? Reiner reckoned not. One way or another, Eren probably would’ve made Reiner fall in love with him either way. That was just who the prince was, unfortunately.

“Close the door behind you, I have paper work I need to discuss with you and we need to clean up the plan for tonight—“ Eren was cut off when he heard the sound of his study door close shut and then the lock clicking in place. He had never told Reiner to lock the door. Turning around, the prince wasn’t prepared to see Reiner right behind him and suddenly, Eren felt his back hit the stone wall, the air being knocked out of him as two calloused hands held him against the cold cobble. 

“R-Reiner! Sh...it...” Eren gasped out through coughs, trying to regain his breath. But Reiner didn’t say anything. Instead, the soldier kept his prince pinned against the wall and watched the man he longed for struggle in his hold. Why did this idiot try to make himself hurt? Why couldn’t he just drop his pride and tell his parents he fell in love with someone else. Why didn’t he explain the situation to them instead of allowing them to blame him for their current crisis? None of this was Eren’s fault... all he did was run away from home because he wanted to live his own life that he wanted to pursue and now... That wasn’t even an option anymore. Now he was under surveillance every waking day and night and the prince didn’t even realize that people had noticed his suffering. That was the sad part. Eren thought that he was the only one hurting right now but he couldn’t have been more wrong. Seeing him like this... it affected everyone around him. Reiner could see the pain everyone felt just by looking at Eren, their tragic prince who thought he was giving up everything to better his kingdom. The only thing was that no one knew if his efforts were worth it if it meant they gained a king they couldn’t even recognize.

“Reiner. Release me.” Eren growled as he shoved at Reiner’s arms in a vain attempt to free himself. The soldier didn’t even acknowledge the act and instead brought his face close to Eren’s and looked at the man sadly.

“You’re horrible, Eren. What the fuck are you thinking right now?” Reiner looked straight into his prince’s eyes and was disappointed when he couldn’t see the fiery orbs he had gotten so accustomed too.

“What do you mean? I’m doing what’s best for my kingdom. That’s what everybody wanted right? I’m accepting my role as the future king and taking on my responsibilities like I should’ve done from the beginning.” Reiner couldn’t bear it anymore. He didn’t like Eren lying to him. In fact, Reiner hated it, especially when the prince looked so hurt after saying those words himself.

“...You know what I mean, Eren. If you don’t want to acknowledge the fact that you’re hurting yourself then fine, I know there isn’t anything I can say to change your mind. But just for now, just for a little while, let me help you forget everything.” Reiner said as he grabbed Eren by the wrists and pushed them above his head, holding them in place with just one hand as his other went to Eren’s thigh and started to gently massage the flesh through the fabric of the prince’s pants.

Gasping out in shock and alarm, Eren started to struggle in Reiner’s hold as he started to kick at the soldier to get him to stop. “Reiner! What are you doing?!” 

The blond just grabbed Eren’s leg that had been kicking at him and pushed it up until his knee hit the wall. Reiner looked at Eren and wondered why it was so easy to pin him down. Reiner knew he was stronger than his prince but even still, this was far too easy.

“Eren.” Reiner said softly as he gently released his arms and legs. “You’ve... completely given up, haven’t you?” Eren let his arms fall to his side and he lowered his leg as he leaned back against the wall, keeping his head low.

“...And what if I have? What will you do?” Eren asked softly, his heart aching and his entire body hurting. He didn’t know what had come over him but he did know that he needed something... anything that could make him feel better in this moment. And that may be Reiner. Reaching up to the man before him, Eren wrapped his arms around the blond’s shoulders and leaned up, prepared to kiss him when suddenly he was pushed back.

Confused, Eren looked up at Reiner’s face the man looked so conflicted.

“Why would you... Fuck! You’re supposed to fight me. Not go along with me... you want Levi and yet you were gunna just let me... Fuck, Eren. You know I love you so why are you mocking me like this? I know you don’t care that way for me so why are you letting me touch you and just...” Reiner felt tears of frustration well up in his eyes and he slowly backed away from Eren who was staring at Reiner in shock. “I love you so much... You know this so why would you do this to me...” Reiner’s tears finally started to flow free down his cheeks and as they did the man quickly ran to the door, unlocked it and ran down the hallway.

Eren felt his eyes get heavy as he wanted to so desperately shed tears of his own but he willed himself to hold them back. He knew everything was his fault so he couldn’t allow himself to cry and feel pity for himself. He didn’t deserve that relief and he didn’t deserve Reiner.

He deserved nothing after all he had done.

He only deserved to suffer. 

***

The night quickly swept over Maria and all people who had been roaming the streets up until that time had quickly cleared to take refuge in their houses. It was such a shame, the night air in Maria was cool and refreshing, the skies were also a deep black that were illuminated by the brightest stars. It really was a shame, Eren thought as he looked up at the sight.

The prince and his group had met in front of the castle gates just as they had planned to sort out any miscommunications ahead of time and to also receive a pack of flare guns for their watch. Even Reiner had showed up. Eren’s supposed he would’ve been more nervous had it not been for Jean, a good childhood friend he hadn’t seen in a long time. The horse faced man with his two toned hair could never let an opportunity to harass Eren down, and for once the prince was grateful for this.

“Not even a fucking ‘hello’ Yeager and you’re pulling this crap on me.” Jean said, obviously annoyed that his name had come up in this plan. “Why didn’t you get someone else other than me, why not someone that can actually be disposable?” Huffing, Jean pushed Eren up against the gate door and glared at him. “Suicidal bastard. You better properly say hi to me when we’re done with tonight.”

Snorting, Eren reached up and grabbed onto Jean’s wrist that was holding him against the door and twisted it forcibly to escape the hold. Yelping at the sudden pain, Jean pulled away while Eren just smirked at him.

“Yeah, yeah, I’ll properly tell you after this. For now listen, you dumb horse face.” Eren stuck his tongue out teasingly as Jean scowled but didn’t say anything else. “Alright, so the plan is to split up into four groups that run in a clockwise rotation around the castle walls, that way we have defence that is constantly moving to check for any other dangers. Along with that we are all equipped with flare guns to signal if you need help, the same goes for the soldiers who are stationed on the walls, got it? If you see a single flare go off then the closest two group need to go to see what the problem is and the other two will call for reinforcements within the castle. Other than that just make sure you clear a side of the wall every forty minutes so we don’t walk into each other. Does everyone understand?” When no one objected, Eren smiled. “Alright then, I’ve already predetermined the groups I thought would go well together—“

“Yeager, if I’m paired up with Connie I swear—“ Jean was cut off when Connie kicked him in the back of the knee, successfully knocking the taller man onto his knees. 

“—As I was saying... I have arranged you into pairs and let’s be mature about who our partners are. So firstly I have Mikasa and Annie; Armin and Jean; Connie and Bertholdt; and Reiner and I.” Looking up, everyone seemed to be content except for Reiner who didn’t look Eren’s way. Ignoring the blond, the prince decided to focus his attention at Mikasa. “Mika, you and Annie start at the north wall. Armin you’ll take the west. Bert, south. And lastly I’ll take the east. Once you’re in position I want you all to release the one green flare you have to indicate you’re ready and then you’ll start your patrols.”

No one had any objections as people started to get into their positions. Eren quickly jogged to the east wall with Reiner following close behind but the two didn’t say anything to acknowledge the other. Instead they went to their spots silently and soon all the green flares shot up, signalling to start patrolling their walls in a counter clockwise fashion. It was okay for the first forty minutes, Eren and Reiner clearing the east side and then transferring to the north wall. The trip was made in silence however except for the occasional greeting or nodding of the head for stationary soldiers they passed every ten minutes. Eren’s couldn’t take it for long, however. The silence was going to drive him mad.

”So... tonight’s a beautiful night.” Eren said awkwardly as he looked up at the sky. Upon hearing nothing but silence, he tried to continue. “... Are you still angry?” Again, silence and Eren couldn’t take it. 

Sighing, Eren gave up. “Reiner... I’m sorry. I know what I did was shitty and I don’t expect you to forgive me for it. I never thought you’d... Um... cry over something like this.” Eren said awkwardly as he scratched the back of his neck.

Grunting, Reiner, finally looked up at Eren for the first time tonight. “Being repeatedly rejected by the only person I’ve ever come to love and then being made out to be the villain when you didn’t fight against my advances? Of course I’d cry over that, Eren.”

The prince felt a stab at his heart as he looked over his shoulder at the bravest man he had ever come to know. “I’m sorry Reiner, you’re right about everything except for me trying to make you into a villain, that wasn’t my intention at all. I just... I guess I wanted to feel something like comfort and that was the only thing I could think of—“ Eren tried to quickly explain himself but Reiner stopped him.

“That wasn’t going to be comfort and you know it.” Reiner’s voice harsh as he said this, sounding as if he were about to cry. “If I had done what I was planning on doing and you were emotionally scarred... Everyone would blame me. People wouldn’t think about if you really hadn’t fought back, they would only wonder why I would take advantage of my prince at his most vulnerable time. And not only that, I would feel responsible if you somehow came to regret what happened even though you could’ve stopped it at any time with a simple ‘no’ or even if you struggled the slightest bit. But you didn’t, you didn’t because you want to torture yourself and make yourself feel unworthy to even be around _him_.” Reiner concluded and Eren didn’t even need the blond to say the name of the man he was referencing.

Reiner was right, Eren could admit it. If they had gone farther earlier there was no way the prince could ever look at Levi the same way ever again.

“Yeah... You’re right. And I’m sorry.” Eren said softly and then hesitantly, the prince turned around and made Reiner stop. “You didn’t deserve this, any of this. I don’t deserve you in my life Reiner but here you are standing beside me... Maybe you’re a fool for it but really, I care so much about you. And because I feel so much towards you, you deserve a conclusion to this.”

Reiner made a sad face that was masked by a slight smile. He nodded as he understood what Eren was getting at and leaned close to his prince. “One kiss. This will end everything for real this time. I’ll fully give up on you and just stay by your side for as long as I’m alive, solely as your knight to keep you safe.“

Eren smiled gently at the man and cupped Reiner’s cheeks with his hands, his hands that were always so incredibly warm. Reiner let out a shaky breath as he wrapped his arms around Eren’s waist and pulled their bodies flush against each other.

The two could feel each other’s heart beats, strong and quick. It made them both let out a soft laugh before Reiner leaned down to his prince and Eren got up on his tip toes to meet Reiner in a kiss. It was hot and deep, each man savouring ever last second of comfort this kiss brought them. While it didn’t last long, it got their point across and it was a fair conclusion to their relationship. From now on, they were knight and prince.

Pulling away, Eren smiled at Reiner and grabbed his hand to lead him onwards.

“We’ve fallen behind, let’s hurry and catch up—“

Eren cut off as Reiner stopped in his tracks and his eyes went wide, the prince looked forward to see what had caused Reiner to react in this way and that’s when he saw it. Five dead soldiers on the ground, blood pooling from their bodies. Eren and Reiner hadn’t seen the bodies before due to there being no light in section of the wall but they hadn’t even heard a struggle or a scream... They hadn’t even seen a flare go off so what had happened?

“Reiner, flare!” Eren commanded as he ran to the soldiers and dropped onto his knees, ignoring the blood that the fabric of his pants was easily soaking up. Within a few seconds, Eren heard the flare being shot up and a red light and smoke started to fill the night sky, eerily illuminating the surrounding area. It was in that moment of light that Eren could see that all the soldiers had their throats slit cleanly through. What could have done this? Was it a person? Upon that thought Eren quickly looked around and saw what he feared. On top of the roof that was accessible from this ledge of the wall, there was a hatch. While Eren couldn’t quite tell in this light, he had a suspicion that someone could have snuck through that vent hatch and killed these soldiers. If that truly were the case, however, then that would mean there’s a traitor inside the castle.

“Reiner! The hatch—“ Eren turned his head around to face the blond man when instead he saw the massive head of one of those damn monsters, its sharp teeth being proudly shown off as it grinned down at Reiner and Eren.

“Eren!” Reiner called out and ran for his prince, tackling him out of the way as the monster swung its clawed hand down at them, crushing the bodies of the soldiers into mangled pieces of flesh and bone.

Eren wanted to throw up but he pushed down whatever was trying to come up and instead focused on getting himself and Reiner up to run. There was absolutely no way they could defeat that thing from where they were... And where the hell were all the other soldiers that were stationed here?! Eren’s question was answered as Reiner and him passed the destroyed bodies of the soldiers who were along the wall and Eren cursed. Reiner and him couldn’t run much longer and were just tiring themselves out.

“Reiner! At this rate the monster will kill us while it backs are turned! We’re going to have to fight until reinforcements come! ” Eren shouted at the man and Reiner cursed before coming to a stop with Eren.

“Fuck... stay behind me and only take stabs when you have a clear opening.” Reiner said quickly as he drew his sword along with Eren. To the men’s surprise, the monster was just walking to them, as if casually stalking them in no rush.

“It could’ve kept up with us but... it didn’t...” Eren breathed as he tried to make sense of the monster but couldn’t think fast enough as Reiner ran at it, jumping onto the bars that blocked soldiers from falling off the wall.

Reiner held nothing back as he leapt from the fence and onto the monster’s shoulder, using his sword to balance himself out as he stabbed into the monster’s flesh repeatedly. The creature screamed out a painful screech as it began to fling its arms in every direction. Eren narrowly avoided one clawed hand as he dove and rolled up onto his knees and watched the horrific sight. The prince wanted to so badly help Reiner but he knew it was dangerous when two swords were at play with an unpredictable opponent... What if he accidentally sliced Reiner or vice versa? Reinre had intentionally ran at the monster before Eren could specifically for this reason, knowing his prince was compulsive but also knowing he wasn’t stupid. So all Eren could do was watch.

Reiner hissed in pain as a claw scratched at his leg, drawing blood but the blond proceeded his assault, cutting whatever flesh he could from his position. That’s when the massive claw slashed out at the wall and tore through the stone as if it were paper, throwing sand and sharp rocks in every direction... the blunt of it heading right towards Eren.

Reiner yelled for Eren to move but the rubble was far too fast for Eren to dodge. The prince’s eyes widened as sharp rocks hit him everywhere, impaling into his shoulders, stomach and legs. The prince fell onto his back as he hissed against the pain and just as he looked up, the last remains of rubble hit him in his face. Eren screamed as tiny, sharp rocks hit his eyes and scratched them up, drawing blood and making him cry crimson. 

The prince couldn’t see anything... All he knew was that he was in pain and that Reiner was screaming for him but he didn’t know what was happening. Eren felt sick as he heard Reiner let out a pained shriek followed by something spraying onto the prince but he couldn’t tell what it was. 

Was this how they were going to die? Eren still hadn’t proved himself to everyone... He didn’t get to tell anyone about the soldiers and how their throats were slit. He didn’t even get to properly say good bye to his loved ones.

Feeling his back hit the cobble wall behind him, Eren let his body go limp as he couldn’t find the will to move. He also couldn’t hear Reiner anymore which either meant he had fallen down the side of the wall and possibly survived or he was killed. Either way, Eren dreaded the man’s fate... but it probably didn’t matter anymore. The prince feared he’d die here as well, considering the monster was most likely still lurking around and reinforcements hadn’t come. Eren felt his body start shutting down as his mind caught up with the damage done to his body. 

This was how he died. In pain, cold and alone.

***

Levi sat across from Carla as she explained what had happened once she told her husband of the information the Rose king had offered to her.

“Grisha said that he didn’t trust you and wouldn’t take your word seriously... That’s when I lost it and snapped at him and just... Everything is a mess. And don’t even get me started on Eren. I don’t know what that boy is doing but I can only assume he’s trying to make things right by doing what he thinks everyone wants him to do and become. All he’s really doing though is pretending to be someone he isn’t.” Carla rubbed her temples tiredly as she looked over at Levi who was slowly drinking his tea, gripping his cup with his fingertips from the rim. It was an odd position but Carla didn’t question it.

“I only know as much as you. As for the king, well, he’ll just have to learn about everything the hard way I suppose. Ultimately, everything is Eren’s decision. He doesn’t have to marry Mina, he was proposed the idea by his father but Eren doesn’t have to technically marry her if he finds another suitor of royalty.” Levi scowled at the memory of the brat kissing the Titan girl’s hands... it made him want to throw up each time he thought about it.

Carla watched Levi closely and he had to give her a questioning look to make her spill what was on her mind. “Nothing... It’s just, what’s happening between you and Eren? He was so determined to speak to you again and just... Look. A mother knows these sorts of things and the way he looks at you I just know there’s something more than friendship there. And I see the way you look at him, you look like you want to capture him and keep him for yourself. So just tell me the status of your relationship with my son.”

Levi sighed and pushed his bangs out of his eyes as he looked up into the queen’s orbs. They were so fiery, just like Eren’s, so the king didn’t even try to come up with an excuse as he gave in. “I’m in love with Eren. We had a romantic relationship but, unfortunately, I have a lot of trust issues. I wanted to be able to trust him... I really did but he lied to me so many times... Then, I made myself a promise. I promised myself that if he hadn’t admitted he was Valor by the time we pass through the Marian gates then I would terminate our relationship. And that’s exactly what I did. That night we first arrived and he asked for an audience with me, I said so many hurtful things to get him to give up on us and I don’t know if they worked or not. I can’t read his mind or predict his moves... That’s partially why I love him but that’s a big reason why I want to keep him away from me.”

Carla took in these words and once Levi was done, she frowned. 

“That’s it? That’s the reason you two are fighting?” Carla let out an unamused huff and it only made Levi angry.

“If you’re just going to ridicule me for being childish then I’m going to just leave—“ Levi said as he was about to stand up when Carla stopped him.

“Just listen to me for a moment. I’ve heard marvellous stories of your past and how you fought against all odds to create a kingdom where people from the underground could seek refuge and you accomplished that. You went from being a starving young boy trying to survive in a cruel environment to becoming a well respected king of a developing kingdom. I’m sure you’ve been betrayed before, we all have, and it probably hurt a lot or may have even costed you lives but this situation that you’re in right now, it’s a joke.” Carla shook her head in disappointment. “Who would’ve thought that the great Rose king would act like this just because he and his lover got into a fight?”

Levi was getting angrier with each word Carla allowed to escape through her mouth and he was about to say something when the queen raised her hand for him to listen.

“I’m not trying to say Eren isn’t guilty here. He is. He lied to you when speaking the truth is something you value deeply. But I know my son. Just think about it, while he was in your kingdom, did his reactions seem fake to you? All the emotions he experienced in Rose and in front of you ranging from joy to anger to sorrow... Do you really think he was lying to you? My son isn’t an actor, Levi. Actually, he’s quite simple to figure out because he’s compulsive and freely shows off whatever he’s feeling like an open book. Everything he said and how he reacted in Rose was all genuine, that I can confirm. As for your relationship with him now, I’m disappointed in both of you. He should be trying so much harder and following you wherever you go begging you to give him another chance. But also, you’re at fault. You’re upset because he lied to you about his name and his identity? I thought you knew Eren better than that. That boy’s real identity isn’t that of a prince, he’s a free spirit, and that’s exactly what he showed off in Rose. The reason he didn’t want to tell you who he really was was because he wanted you to know Eren, the real him and not some restrained prince. You would’ve known this had you really thought about Eren’s motives instead of being upset that he had apparently betrayed you. And now you keep kicking him away like a he’s a lost puppy like you don’t want to have anything to do with him. Now I just feel bad for my son. You must not really care for him that much if you’re willing to just toss him aside like this.” 

Levi didn’t like what he was hearing and he wanted to do nothing more than smash every damn vase there was in this massive castle but... he knew Carla was right. He hadn’t even bothered thinking of a reason as to why Eren really hid his identity, instead he assumed that the prince had done it so he wouldn’t have been sent back to Maria. And maybe that was the original intention but Levi did notice Eren’s genuine reactions. How he showed compassion towards Petra and Christa when the strawberry blond was under medical treatment, how Eren went out of his way to have a conversation with any one of the towns people he passed while on his walks, how his eyes lit up whenever he was with Levi... How had the raven been so blind? Valor wasn’t who Eren was, it was a facade. The being Levi loved so much was Eren and it took Levi a scolding from the mom of his beloved to show him that. How embarrassing. 

Carla crossed her arms and smiled knowingly at the expression on Levi’s face. “You obviously get it now. I gave you the push, now it’s up to you to decide how you want to act now.”

Levi nodded and offered Carla one of his rare smirks, briefly wondering if this was what it was like to have a mother figure. Someone that knew what you were feeling just by a glance and then piecing things together and applying logic to them to get you to understand a bigger picture... Levi really did appreciate this woman and he silently hoped she’d be there for him as he tried to make things right with Eren.

The two sat in content silence as they both thought things over until they saw what they had been dreading all night from the window. A red light flickering up into the sky.

That was all it took to send the castle into chaos, soldiers running, trying to get to their designated stations, maids scrambling to get out of the way and Carla running down the hallway with Levi right beside her. 

“Of course this happened... of course it did.” Carla said more to herself than to anyone in particular as she saw her husband standing in front of the staircase to their thrones. He looked at his wife with panic and worry in his eyes and Carla wanted to so desperately console her husband but she knew now was not the time.

“Grisha! Where did it come from?!” Carla asked immediately as she came to a stop beside her king, Levi staying a few feet away from the couple but was silently listening in.

“It came from the north side... It’s only been about hour which means that... Whoever started on the east side—“ Grisha didn’t say anything else as Carla’s eyes widened.

“Eren...” Levi shivered as Carla barely whispered her son’s name and that was when something inside the raven snapped. 

He hadn’t said he was sorry to Eren, he hadn’t told the boy he loved him or even how he forgave him... All these unspoken words that he may never get to tell the ears they were made for. Growling, Levi snatched the sword from one of the passing guards and glared at the soldier when they started to complain, immediately shutting them up. It was a common sword that had no weight to it and it was flimsy but it was all Levi needed to take down whatever foe dared to touch Eren.

“I’m going to the north side to find Eren.” Levi quickly said as he ran in the direction he remembered to be north as shown by a tour guide earlier. The Rose king briefly heard Grisha calling him to stay there and be safe but naturally Levi didn’t listen. The raven only turned around when he heard the clicking of heels following him against the marble floors and he looked back to see Carla wielding her own blade and running after him in heels.

Damn, this mother just kept getting more badass by the second, Levi smirked.

***

Eren could hear the monster’s breath on his entire body where wounds were exposed, each exhale of air making his cuts and punctures sting and make him cry out.

This had been going on for the past two minutes and Eren didn’t know what to think or do. This monster obviously wasn’t content on just killing him right away, so why was he just waiting? Eren didn’t know what was up with this dumb creature’s brain but it gave the prince the slightest bit of hope that he could escape. Eren remembered the hatch just above him. If he could somehow get himself on top of the roof, then he could push himself through the vent... Of course, this would only work if his earlier suspicions were correct however. The vent would be unlocked if someone from inside the castle really did use it as an entrance to slit the guards’ throats and utilize as an escape route.

Willing up his nerves and strength, Eren slowly tried to raise himself to his feet, whimpering as he felt the rocks that were impaled in his body shift with each move he made. It was excruciatingly painful but Eren tried to think about his family and all the people he was trying to live for and felt his adrenaline begin to pump.

Blindly raising his hands up, Eren felt the edge of the roof he had to pull himself up on and slowly turned his back towards where he assumed the creature was. Getting a better grip on the ledge, Eren took a few deep breathes before pulling himself up, crying out as the rocks were pushed further into his body. Eventually making it onto the edge of the roof with his legs dangling off, Eren felt around for the vent and heard a metal sound when his hand passed over exactly what he was looking for.

The metal was rusty and cold against his hand as it brought the prince some reassurance. He was going to live. Pushing on the vent, Eren didn’t know whether to be thankful or terrified that the vent gate just fell down. Someone had definitely come through these pipes and in a hurry too... they hadn’t even bothered screwing the screws back in place.

That’s when Eren felt something wrap all around his body and squeeze him tightly, cutting off his breathing and fully impaling the rocks into his flesh. Unable to scream, Eren could only cry blood from his eyes and think about his family and how he’d never get to say good bye to them. The prince accepted fate and waited for the release of death to take him.

“Eren!” That voice... was so familiar. “Connie! You take the left side, I’ll take the right!” Reinforcements. Jean and Connie had come with reinforcements. Eren could hear all the soldiers running towards him and he could hear Jean and Connie slicing through flesh with their swords.

Suddenly, Eren felt his body start to drop as the monster released Eren from its grip. Jean left the monster to Connie as he saw Eren falling and jumped off the monster to catch Eren and bring him to the safety of the edge of the wall. 

Horrified by his injuries, Jean quickly took off his cloak and wrapped Eren up in it, tearing off a piece to tie around Eren’s eyes as well.

“You’ve had better days Yeager. Let’s get you to safety while everyone else finishes up here.” Jean said softly as he gently kissed Eren’s forehead.

“R-Reiner. I don’t know where he—“ Eren wheezed out but Jean told him to keep quiet. The horse faced man pick Eren up bridal style and quickly ran towards the nearest entrance into the castle, running past soldiers who were going after the beast. That’s when things seemed to move in slow motion as Jean passed Levi, the Rose king, whose eyes went wide at the sight of Eren who was dripping blood not only from his body but from his face as well.

Not bothering to try to explain to the raven, Jean continued running to get Eren to safety and even ignored Carla as she ran past not long after Levi.

Levi cursed as he focused on the ugly monster he had seen too many times these past few months, trying to shake the image of Eren all bloodied from his mind.

Instead, he’d take out his anger on the beast before him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School is sucky, what’s the point of me going if I just get homework anywaysssssss ;-; welp, here’s a long chapter to hopefully make up for the long wait :D big thanks and kudos to anyone that sticks around to read this after these long waits, like that’s dedication <3

**Author's Note:**

> Ehehehe I just want Prince Eren and Prince Levi in my life please don’t hate me o///o Please leave comments to let me know if you’re enjoying this or tell me how I can better my writing. Thank you!


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